As Luck Would Have It
by tellyourheartheadsup
Summary: They say university is where you make your lifelong friends. A cynical Phil Brooks doesn't think so, John Cena's after someone who's out of his league, and Maria's just trying to make it through her first year without a reminder of a bad past. Everyone is trying to figure out who they are and what they want out of this world, but life on campus isn't going to make it easy for them.
1. The Fire Alarm

**As Luck Would Have It**  
_- The Fire Alarm –_

* * *

He knew the fire alarm was going to go off before it even sounded, and it was with a crooked smile that he heaved himself up from his bed when it did, barely rushing to slip on a pair of beaten-up sneakers to make it out of the dormitory and to the known escape point.

It was a brilliantly sunny day, he noted as he strolled down the stairs from the third floor at a slow pace, somewhat amused by the busybodies jogging past him to get out onto campus. It was the perfect day for another fire alarm—the perfect moment for his occasionally stupid, always delusional roommate to get his weekly fill.

As he paced onwards, he thought about the week he had ahead of him, and had already decided by the time he made it out of the door that he would not enjoy it. There were two essays a day apart from each other to hand in, one of which he still hadn't started, and a rival sports team from another university would be on their way to play against the Draculton soccer guys at the end of the week. Depending on if they won, and that was very likely, then there would be a drunken celebration that would last into the early hours of the morning.

Two things he didn't like and didn't mind saying so: assholes and alcohol. Well, alcohol _and_ drugs if he was being honest, the latter to add to a steadily expanding list of things he despised. He looked down at the _Drug Free_ tattoo printed across his knuckles, half-expecting his dark hair to fall across his face and obscure his view. He'd almost forgotten that he'd had a reboot of character over the summer; it was sometimes a surprise to look in the mirror and see slicked back short hair instead.

His thoughts returning to the current moment, he made it across the grass and onto the other side. "Hey, whadd'ya know, the grass still isn't greener on the other side." He quipped to his roommate once the guy could be found. Raising an eyebrow, he couldn't resist adding, "Again, Cena? It's starting to become a little bit boring."

"Good thing I don't give a shit what you think then," said John Cena, stuffing his hands in his hoodie pockets and looking around again.

His smirk returned to its casual state while he watched John, who so obviously had a keenness in his body language and eager eyes. Two months and a half of sharing accommodation, and he still had the very same opinion of him: he was bland, nothing more than an over hyped jock whom everyone seemed to love for no reason he could think of, and with a tendency to do stupid things. This included.

Honestly, who thought of putting him and John together? Gold fucking star.

"Ever think that you have a problem? I mean, setting the fire alarm off every week at random times just so you can get a glimpse of the girl you have the hots for? It's pretty pathetic."

"Can it, Punk. I don't care what you have to say."

Punk. _Ha. _

It was too bad that John Cena didn't know that he actually quite liked the nickname. His real name was much different of course - Phil Brooks, fairly normal - but he thought Punk might suit him better. Almost landing himself in a fight with his roommate in the first week of university, John had come out of it calling Phil a "Punk" and to stay away from him, for which his response was to laugh. He wasn't going to be intimidated by a run of the mill jock who still hadn't grown out of his high school phase.

Turning away, Phil looked out at the crowd starting to form. There were a few people he recognised making their way out... and then there was her. The girl of John Cena's pathetic dreams. He couldn't really fault her: with darker skin than some around, a British accent and a friendly demeanour to boot, there was nothing wrong with Layla El. She just wasn't _his_ type - certainly not someone worth setting the alarm off for, not that he thought anyone was worth that amount of trouble.

The adoration in John's eyes far too evident, Phil rolled his eyes and began to walk away. The fire marshals wouldn't be here for at least another five minutes, and he needed a walk to clear his head before he delved back into work. He shook his head before disappearing. Stuck with a crappy roommate and unable to find a decent friend in this stupid place, who would have thought?

-x-**x**-x-

Well... _this _was embarrassing.

If there had to be one person caught off-guard this badly by a fire alarm _and _to come rushing out in a towel with her hair still lathered in shampoo from her shower, it would have to be her wouldn't it? Natalya Neidhart rolled her eyes at the predictability of it all and, in the meanwhile, tried not to cringe at the sniggers she could hear behind her back.

"At least it's warm out?" Beside her, Kaitlyn Bonin was trying to make her feel better. The not so subtle smile on her face wasn't particularly helping.

"Good to know I won't freeze." Natalya retorted sharply, narrowing her eyes at the grass beneath her bare, soapy feet. This had to be the most embarrassing thing to happen to her this academic year... well, so far. "I just want to go back inside already."

"That's a good look on you, sweetheart. Really something else."

That British accent wasn't lost on the blonde student, who turned into Wade Barrett's cocky smirk. He was with Drew McIntyre and Sheamus, other over the pond friends of his, and appeared to be just as arrogant as ever. She vaguely knew of him from stories around campus and it was safe to say that him acknowledging her for the first time was not a sweet experience. It tasted bitter, in fact, so bitter that she could just...

Before she could argue back, Kaitlyn came to her defence. "Oh shove off, Wade, stop trying to be so cool."

The conversation grew bigger as another guy came into the conversation, walking up behind her. Dolph Ziggler - a new addition to Draculton's soccer team and an established bragger at that. "I wouldn't mind seeing _you _in a towel."

Nikki Bella, the girl hanging off his arm, shot him a look. "Behave," was all she said. Her expression seemed to convey more than that. Kaitlyn, who didn't know either of the two, was more than content to return to her conversation with Natalya.

A short distance away, Eve Torres stood by herself, one arm placed dominantly on her hip as she used the other to hold up her phone. She was speaking to her best friend about tonight's plans and she seemed to be excited about them. A trip down to the local bar in town was just what she needed, and the way Maryse was speaking about their mission to land a hot guy... well, what was there not to love about that plan? A smirk played on her glossed lips. It didn't matter whether she was at home or miles away here at Draculton University; the boys always fell under her spell.

Layla El, object of a certain guy's affections, trailed up to Kaitlyn and greeted her with a smile. Her eyes fell across to Eve and that smile promptly dropped. She and the brunette girl had been friends back in high school - how had that all changed? A better question to ask, she supposed, was how had Eve changed? What had happened to her?

"I'm starting to hate her as much as you." Kaitlyn remarked when she saw what her friend's attention was on. "Bumped into her the other day on my way to my room and she gave me the most disgusting look. Thinks she's the Queen around here."

"Yeah, she does." Layla shook her head and forced herself to look away from her former friend. Easily enough, she was soon distracted by someone looking straight back at her. Those eyes, those dimples... wow. That was a sight she didn't mind looking at. "Cute," she murmured to herself discreetly before looking away again.

Kaitlyn was still talking about Eve. "What makes her so special anyway?"

"That body, that smile... just about everything." Mike Mizanin, often referred to as Miz around campus, offered his opinion. A lazy smile came over his face as he looked over at the talkative student. "I would."

"You would do anything." Natalya remarked. He turned to her, about to say something to oppose this, only to get a glimpse of what she was wearing and deciding to simply laugh instead. She rolled her eyes for the second time that afternoon.

With a case of good timing, Phil returned just as the marshals turned up, sirens blaring and ready to go and fight fire. They drove off both pissed off and disappointed a mere seventeen minutes of searching later. Everyone began to make their way back inside and Phil, keeping a distance away from John by walking briskly ahead, made it back to the room in a matter of minutes. He fell back onto his bed and took up the position he was in before.

John's voice was the next one he heard. "You need to lighten up, Punk."

"You need to stop talking." He offered his very best shit-eating grin.

Proceeding to stare up at the ceiling, Phil lost himself in thoughts. The main one was that he hoped his year here passed by quickly - they were only two months and a half into their first year, but the new class of 2012 were already proving to be a bunch of losers, jocks, airhead chicks and a waste of his time.

* * *

Running away. That's what Maria Kanellis felt like she was doing.

Even though she was sat with her legs up on the dashboard of her mother's car and in a pose that suggested she was okay, the Draculton University student felt anything but. There was no feeling normal after the two-week nightmare she'd just been through at home. Remembering getting that phone-call, getting picked up by her father in the middle of studying for an exam, driving all the way back to Chicago just to be there for her little sister... it all seemed like so long ago. Yet the pain of it all was still there.

Her iPod was playing a dark and heavy song as she stared out of the window at the familiar sights and she couldn't help but think it reflected her mood perfectly. Maybe that was the reason she'd hesitated to change it when it came up on shuffle.

It was funny really - her sitting in the passenger's seat and listening to music through headphones like all the other students around campus seemed to do. She wasn't particularly the shutting herself off from the world kind of person. She didn't find normal life that boring. On the rare occasion she did get bored, however, it would show. Dark hair was dyed to electric red, clothes were torn and re-created, a new piece of art was painted and put on her wall... she was the artistic type.

Now she supposed she was the artistic type in a tortured sort of way. Something close to home had shaken her up and she was rebelling against it as a way of not being able to deal with it. She knew she wasn't completely off the rails and wouldn't allow herself to become anything like that, but there was definitely a sense of depression she was slipping into.

It showed, too. Her mother commented on it when they pulled up to the gates of the university. "Everything is going to be okay again, Maria, don't you even worry about that. You just focus on your studies - that's what's important. We'll call you every day if you want us to keep you up to date with Lizzie."

She nodded and checked the time on her watch. 6:52pm and already dark: that was winter for you. "You'll have to call me when you get back so I know that you got back safely."

"Of course, darling. Nothing less." Mrs. Kanellis promised as she pulled into the parking lot.

After tying her red hair back into a sloppy bun, she grabbed her small rucksack of belongings and unlocked the door. She was caught off-guard by the soft kiss on her cheek but smiled faintly at her mother anyway before leaving, deciding that Karen Kanellis at least deserved that. She waited until the car had driven away and was out of sight before dropping her smile again.

There were a couple of corners to go around before she reached her dorm and it was about a five minute walk, so by the time she was outside of her room and searching for her key she'd already had a million thoughts run through her mind. None were of a happy nature.

"Here she is, the girl I've missed so much!" Layla was there to greet her with enthusiasm when she walked in.

A genuine smile touched Maria's lips this time, if only for a fleeting moment. She was glad to have such a good friend in Layla El. The British girl was admittedly a worry of hers before - she wasn't sure they had enough in common to get along - but that had been proven wrong after a few late-night conversations about everyone and everything. They got along well.

As usual, Layla was working away on something for her course, but there was a look of genuine concern on her face as she took her attention away from her laptop to assess Maria. "How's everything at home? Is your sister okay?"

"She's getting there, she'll be fine... you know what though? I'm so tired. Mind if I go for a little nap?"

"Of course, no problem. I've got to meet up with a couple of people in the library anyway, so I'll leave you to it. We'll talk later when you're refreshed."

By the time her friend had departed, Maria was already changed into sweats and getting into bed. She'd drawn the blind in their room down and so it was the darkness that aided her in trying to get to sleep that early evening. But as her eyes closed, a tear slid down her cheek. Maria wiped it away hastily. The Kanellis girls' were strong, they were fighters, and she would be damned if she was going to lose her natural optimism so easily.

Tomorrow was another day.

* * *

New fic, more characters... here we go.


	2. Cena's Plan

**As Luck Would Have It  
**_- Cena's Plan –_

* * *

John Cena had a plan regarding Layla El.

Perhaps Phil—or Punk, as he liked to call his intolerable roommate—would laugh at it, and had already in fact laughed at his previous attempts to get her attention, but what did he care about some loner kid wannabe? Layla was a special girl as far as he was concerned and that little fact was enough for him to consider doing stupid things to attract her.

He would admit that setting off the fire alarms was a childish move and one could argue that it was beneath him: an easy-going, popular guy like himself could always just bite the bullet and go for it. _But_, he would argue when his friends from home brought it up over Skype with their taking-the-piss smirks, this girl wasn't to be toyed with. She was something else entirely. Back in school he may have been the popular kid who charmed his way into girls' tiny panties but here it was all different.

There had just been _something_ that clicked into place when he first saw her.

He'd helped her with her bags—well actually, maybe he'd only shifted one into the building with his foot before she picked it up herself—but Layla had still smiled and said thank you before ultimately disappearing. Then, a couple of days later, he had heard her talking to her red-headed roommate in that British accent of hers and his interest had peaked even more. This girl was now on his radar.

Except she wouldn't stay on it. For the first couple of weeks, while everyone was still settling in and getting used to classes, John had looked for her without success. After subtly inquiring, all it took was a comment from Maria Kanellis to tell him that her roommate had come to this place to study and not to get involved with boys of _any_ kind for him to understand what he was dealing with.

While he wouldn't deny that this was a setback, the new college student had also decided it wouldn't put him off, and that he would do what he could to get her attention. This would include pulling the fire alarms just to get a glimpse of her; desperate times called for desperate measures. That smile she had given him the other day after doing so had been enough for him to realise he needed to do _more._

He was determined that he would.

"Set's up." A voice called out to catch his attention and John, sitting up after the weights were lifted from his grip, refocused to his surroundings to find Mike Mizanin staring back at him.

"Good session." He stood to his feet and chucked his previously discarded shirt over his shoulder. Sweaty and breathless, he took huge gulps from his water bottle, before asking, "You finished the history essay yet?"

"Nope, haven't even started it - when's it due in?"

"You're kidding me? It's in tomorrow afternoon, dude."

"Well... shit." Miz chuckled as he stuffed his hands into his short pockets and they made their way out of the on-campus gym. "Looks like I'll be pulling off an all-nighter to get that finished."

He eyed the blonde guy beside him in suspicion. Sometimes he wasn't sure whether they were really friends or whether he was just putting up with Miz because he seemed to be the only one on his course that he'd been able to speak to. Would they have been friends back in high school? Something told him that no, they wouldn't be. Still, he made for a good gym partner and that was good enough for him for now.

"So what are you up to tonight then? I'll obviously be in now so I'll have to live vicariously through you."

"It's only 1500 words, I'm sure you'll cope." John remarked. "After soccer practice, I'm heading home for the weekend. Mom needs help with a couple of things and Dad's away on a trip, so me and my brothers are gonna help her out. Nothing too exciting."

"At least you won't be stuck with Punk."

He smirked - the name he'd branded Phil with had spread considerably well. "Exactly."

Idle conversation was made on the way back to their dorms, but Punk was still there in the back of John's mind. He would have far more respect for his roommate if they just tried to get along with each other. From the start Phil Brooks had made it clear that there were too many differences between them for them to be friends - which was certainly true - but was that any reason not to be civil to one another? But fine, if that was what he wanted, that was what he would get.

Reaching the entrance doors, he was unprepared for who he was about to bump into. "Watch it." Eve Torres hissed at him as she slipped carefully past the two men. "This dress is designer and I won't have you ruin it with your gross sweat."

John shook his head in disgust as they watched her walk off, but Mike had a softer expression on his face. "She's so..."

"Annoying. Stuck-up. Full of herself."

"... Perfect."

"And that's my cue to leave. Too much stupidity for one day." He hit him on the shoulder. "Talk to you later."

Once back in his dorm room, without finding Phil there reading a book on his bed for once, he booted up his laptop. He wanted to check his essay one more time before submitting it. While he waited for it to connect to the internet, John leaned back in his desk chair and glanced out of the window onto campus. So many faces, so many people... and yet on most days he could only think of one.

He offered a smile up to the empty space. Not just a smile, but one that showed off the dimples in his cheeks; full-on and a sign of his good mood. "Layla," he tested her name out on his tongue. Sounded good to him.

* * *

The good thing about going to a local university just half an hour away from where you lived was the ability to see your friends whenever you wanted to. Or in Kaitlyn's case, as she quickly discovered when she arrived at the best coffee shop in town (and that was saying something considering they had a _Starbucks_ to compete with), whenever _they _could see _you._

AJ Lee buzzed around the tables while she worked and Kaitlyn, sitting neatly at one tucked in at the corner, watched her best friend with pure amusement. They'd been friends for near to eleven years now and she still couldn't work out how - for such a small girl - AJ had so much energy. It was the dark-haired girl's mission to do her busy job and have time for her friend, and so far it seemed to be working.

"I could always come back." Kaitlyn offered after taking a sip of her drink. Though it was chilly outside, she'd still preferred to go with her usual caffeine choice - a homemade caramel iced coffee. It was delicious. "I'd go and see Derrick until you're done here."

"And experience that temper again? I know the boy loves you but he needs his sleep."

That was true. It wasn't that Derrick Bateman was too lazy to get out of bed at three in the afternoon, but he worked the night shifts at the local grocery store and so his sleeping pattern was messed up at best. Once his head was on that pillow he was out for the count... and if you somehow managed to wake him up, well, be it on your head.

"Stay here - I'll take my break in five. We have things to catch up on anyway."

"I assume that means Justin?"

"I do talk about other people besides him!" AJ attempted to look scornful, but with her height and naturally friendly features it didn't hold much weight, so Kaitlyn ended up laughing at her instead. "But yes, if you must know... he took me out last Friday and it was the sweetest thing ever."

"Excuse me Miss, can I get a refill over here?"

While AJ scuttled off once again for her waitressing duties, the blonde returned to the sweet beverage in front of her, although she had to laugh after a moment by herself. Justin Gabriel was always the subject on AJ Lee's mind and it was to nobody's surprise: the pair had been together for five years now and their relationship was still as solid as ever with no sign of decay. _Must be nice_, she thought briefly, _to have someone you can rely on like that._

"So, what about the guys at Draculton? Any of them pop out as boyfriend material?" Her best friend had an eerie way of reading her mind.

With her attention back on their conversation, she gave a small shrug. "Not really... I've been hit on a few times though. It happened the other day with some guy who had ridiculous looking blonde hair. It looked like slicked back spaghetti. So weird."

"That's... odd. Oh well, you'll just have to settle for Derrick."

"It's never going to happen." Kaitlyn shook her head adamantly. "We're best friends and that's that."

It was true. She and Derrick had always been close. They played video games until all hours, wrestled each other in the back yard when they were younger, but could also be serious with each other when the time called for it; that was the way their relationship worked and it suited her perfectly well in the platonic sense. But that sort of relationship also came with rumours and gossip, and she often heard the stories around high school that secretly they were hooking up. It happened with all boy/girl relationships, right?

Well no, actually, not with hers.

"Chill, I know that. It was a joke." AJ laughed. "I hope that college isn't making you too serious. We miss our Kaitlyn."

"I miss you guys too. I know you're only thirty minutes away but it's still weird, you know? You, Derrick, Justin, even Johnny... whoever... you'll have to come and visit me again soon."

"It would be my honour. Oh crap, another customer's just walked in..."

"I'll leave you to it. I've got to head home and do my laundry anyway - Mom's going to be so happy to see the two full bags in the back of the car when I rock up." She stood up to put on her denim jacket and bag. "Catch up over the phone later?"

"Definitely."

One quick hug later, Kaitlyn was out of the door and walking to her car. It was only once she was behind the wheel that she allowed herself to stop the motions for a moment and have a little think. AJ was always busy when in work, there was no surprise there, but she was starting to get the feeling that _this_ would become a regular thing - that they wouldn't have time for each other as the academic year went on. It was a recent nagging worry, she had to admit.

_No, don't be stupid. _She told herself as she got back to reality, pushing her keys into ignition and waiting to pull off from the side of the road. _That would never happen. We're best friends, unbreakable... and it's the same thing with Derrick too._

The student almost rolled her eyes at her behaviour. She was thinking prematurely and there was no impact to her words. Her life would be as normal as it always was - perhaps with a few more essays and work-driven tasks - and there was nothing to be concerned about. University was a change, of course it was, but what else was she expecting?

* * *

John wasn't the only person on campus with an agenda on his mind.

Natalya had a grin on her face and a spring in her step as she stepped into the library, looking for a spare table she could steal for the materials in her hand. Ever since arriving at Draculton, the blonde had wanted to find something to do... an outlet for the spare time she had on her hands. Now she finally had an idea to go on and, crazy as it sounded, she was one hundred percent on board with it.

This university would have its first ever women's dodgeball team.

She found a table near the back of the library, after offering up a wave to Layla on her way past the computer area - the British girl always seemed to be here working away. She set her things down and after settling in, wondered where to begin. She stared at the things in front of her: brightly-coloured pink paper, several markers, and labels. A laugh almost spilled from her mouth; she felt like she was back in elementary school about to draw a childish picture.

The design for the flyer would be simple despite its luminous colour. She wanted something that got people's attention but didn't overwhelm them. A women's dodgeball team would be enough to do that.

It was about ten minutes into designing the flyer that she noticed a shadow hovering over her. Instinctively, Natalya lifted her head and found a familiar face staring back at her... actually, not only familiar, but with that same look of amusement crinkled around his eyes as when she last saw them.

Clearly, she was a source of amusement for Wade Barrett. "Can I help you?" She asked haughtily, and shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She had much more than a towel on this time round but it did nothing to sweeten her mood.

"Colouring time, is it?" He responded, and once more his better-than-you British voice sent her into frustration overload.

"For your information, I'm starting up a dodgeball team... for women." He chuckled at that and she glared at him. "What's so funny about that?"

"Nothing, you just strike me as _quirky._" There was something about the way he said it that suggested it wasn't meant in a complimentary way. "First it's the towel incident and now this."

"I don't see why it should concern you." After glancing at the time, she returned to him. "So are you just going to stand around watching me or are you actually doing something?"

"Oh don't mind me, I'm on my way out. Just checking out a book for my module... see you later, towel girl."

She didn't have a chance to respond to this; he was already strolling away with the utmost confidence. Natalya could only roll her eyes and return to her creative task. _Don't let him get to you, _she told herself_, he's not __worth it._

It seemed to work. Minutes later, she was back into developing her idea, and a smile had appeared on her face again. This was a great idea, she just knew it.

Wade, having just checked out his book after waiting in line, turned to glance at her before leaving. _Towel girl_, he thought with a faint smile on his face, _I'll have to keep an eye on that one._


	3. A Lack of Character

**As Luck Would Have It  
**_- A Lack of Character -_

* * *

Only five minutes into her two-hour seminar and Eve Torres was already bored of it. If it wasn't the constant eye-rolls that gave it away, it had to be the impatient moving around in her uncomfortable seat. Others around her were scribbling notes down furiously yet she hadn't bothered to record any once in the time that she had been here.**  
**

Turning her head, she noticed some girl looking at her curiously, although she was back to note-taking the moment she was clocked with a lethal stare. She realised the girl must have read into Eve's decision not to pay close attention to class as something else entirely.

Did people think that was too up herself and too important to study?

Not that she cared what other people thought about her, but if they were to question her on it she would be certain to set them straight, and to let them know that her reasoning for not taking the seminar seriously was because she had already studied the reading material top to bottom prior to class.

She was _smart_, something the brunette figured other people wouldn't bank on. The trait was just hidden behind a bitchy reputation and a killer smile.

Amongst those who'd brought laptops with them, Eve opened hers up and waited for the web to load - stupid, slow university wifi - before bringing up _Facebook_ chat. She could do with the entertainment. Instantly bombarded with several chat conversations, she ignored all of them to focus on the one person online who wasn't striking up a greeting message - and who had also just gone offline on her.

For a split moment, the girl forgot herself and pursed her lips in a stiff line, wondering why on earth she should care whether Layla El was online or not. They were no longer best friends, so why should they still talk? In fact, why did she still have the British girl on Facebook? _I should delete her._ The thought came to mind, but it wasn't one she dwelled on.

Eve focused on another person instead - Maryse Ouellet, a girl she'd gotten to know quite well since coming to Draculton. _In my Law class and it's so boring, _she typed quickly. _How are you recovering from last night?_

_Blinds are still closed and I've just taken my third painkiller. Hangovers will be the death of me. _The blonde girl typed back.

_No, I think you'll find that's the drinking. Think you can recover by tonight? There's a local band playing ten minutes from the beachfront and I'm told that the guitarist is cute. The drummer's all yours. Up for a challenge?_

_Cute boys? Hell yeah, I'm up for that!  
_

Eve smirked at her screen, typed up a response and logged off. That same smirk faded after a rocky moment of thinking. When had she become like this - so boy-obsessed and materialistic? Her clothes were all designer, the lyrics of the music she listened to were meaningless - all about booze, sex and/or drugs - and she cared little for any future goals she had made just last year. Things had changed and it was easy to recognise the change in herself also.

Moments later it was like the thought had never entered her mind. She straightened up in her seat, opened up Word and forced herself to start taking notes. Maybe she knew all there was to know on the subject for this class but she supposed there were a few tidbits that could pop out at her unexpectedly. It was better that she concentrated than not at all.

A sigh of relief escaped her mouth when the seminar finally ended, and after gathering up her things carefully, Eve headed back to the dormitories with a bright smile on her face. That had been her only class of the day and now all she had to look forward to was a night out tonight. Well, she still had 200 words to complete on an essay that wasn't due in for another month and a half, but that would be no problem at all.

"Mom, hi!" She greeted enthusiastically after her phone had rung deep in her pocket and she'd discovered who it was. "You have good timing. I've just finished my class."

_"How's it all going? Still on top of things?"_

"You know me - always working hard."

_"Of course I know you... I miss you. I'm standing here staring out of the kitchen window and counting down the days until you come home for Christmas break."_

The picture was vivid in her mind. Linda Torres liked to do this on most days: lose herself in thoughts whilst hovering over the sink, perhaps nursing a mug of lukewarm tea or playing with the leaves of the plants lined up along the windowsill. The mother of the house could always distract herself somehow and Eve would always walk downstairs to find her in this way, sometimes having to call her name one or two times before she got a response.

It was those sorts of memories that kept Eve in control of her emotions whenever she felt homesick and just wanted to jump on the first train back to her hometown.

"Only a month and a bit to go. I'm excited."

_"Me too, honey. So what have you been up to in your spare time then? Ooh, have you joined any more societies?"_

The brunette enjoyed telling her mother stories about what she had been up to - although she was careful to keep out details of boys and nights out - and enjoyed listening to tales from home too. By the time they had run out of conversation for today, Eve was back in her room, having slung her things down on her bed and was now looking through her wardrobe with the radio on in the background.

She always felt like she was transforming herself when she picked out her outfits for a night out: a tighter dress, sleeker heels, more extravagant accessories. _But this is who you are now. _The student reminded herself as she held up a less than demure outfit against her slender body. _Embrace it._

Eve had only one problem to contend with. She wasn't sure if she could live up to the status that she had so carefully built up since arriving here. The least she could do was try... but she had to admit, even if it killed her to, that playing out the role of a bitch when she felt anything but was a tough duty.

* * *

Maria wished she could say she was happy to be back in the safety and comfort of her academic world, but just like it had been back at home when she had to be there at her sister's side, something was off. Her naturally happy mood was unbalanced and she no longer found she could just put a smile on her face and bear it. Faking a smile was a new experience and not one she was comfortable becoming accustomed to.

Maybe it was the stress that had her off balance.

A trip to the advice shop on campus had reminded her of where she left things. An essay was to be handed in soon - though she was lucky to be granted a two-week extension on it - and the exam that she'd been in the middle of preparing for when she was forced to go still had to be done. She had three days to study for it before she would have to take it in the Johnston building at 4pm precisely.

That day had arrived awfully quickly and it was now - at 5:15pm - that Maria emerged from the building feeling slightly sickly. Thoughts of her sister had interrupted with her focus on the exam and so she knew she hadn't performed to the best of her ability. She would be lucky to get a pass let alone a decent grade. It was with this upsetting belief that she headed for the library; the least she could do was distract herself with reading material that she had to pick up.

It took her ten minutes to find what she wanted - a task that flew by far too quickly for her liking. Now she was making her way back to the dorms, wondering if a trip into town for some indulgence shopping would make her feel better, but in the end she doubted it would. All of the normal things she would be doing right now would do little to make her feel better.

Something stopped her from opening her door when she reached it, and instead she stood outside silently with her hand hovering over the doorknob, a look of anguish on her face. Layla would be in there working away, but she was bound to break away from studying to ask her questions... and while she had come to love her roommate like a sister, she didn't want to be under pressure to keep up with a conversation she didn't want to have in the first place.

But where to go?

She found herself at the union five minutes later, propping herself up on a vacant stool in the local student food bar and reaching for a menu. Now that she thought about it, Maria was hungry, and perhaps a spot of food and a cool drink would help to calm down the fairly new but since then constant anxiety in the pit of her stomach feeling.

Once she'd made up her mind and ordered, the redhead perched her elbows on the counter, dropped her head into her hands and released a lengthy sigh. It felt like she had been holding that in all day.

"That bad, huh?"

Her head snapped up quickly and her first instinct turned out to be true. Someone _was_ talking to her - the guy she'd rooted herself next to a while ago but not paid any attention to. Until now. Maria allowed herself one quick look: dark hair, a probing stare and a lip ring that curved with that crooked smile of his. "Sorry?" was all she thought to say in return.

"That sigh - I could feel the weight of it from here."

"Ha, wish I could lift it from my shoulders." The reply was out of her mouth before she could stop it.

"I know the feeling, trust me." The way the words tumbled from him - with such subtlety it almost flew right over her head - made her wonder what a guy like him, so normal looking and collected, could possibly have to worry about. But she supposed everyone had their problems. "I'd say it gets better but what do I know?"

"I happen to believe it does get better... on most occasions. That's me, always the optimist. I just seem to have lost that perspective recently." She shook her head and glanced away briefly, before deciding that introductions were in order. "I'm Maria, by the way - the girl who's given up for now."

"Phil - the guy who gave up a long time ago." He offered a hand and she took it, noting that his fingers were rough and calloused where they brushed against hers. "I live with someone who calls me Punk though, so feel free to use that name instead." A small smirk appeared as he picked up the last few fries on his plate to eat.

"You look like you're proud of being called Punk."

"Nah, just amused. The guy's a total jackass."

Maria, feeling lucky to be roomed with someone she actually liked, commented, "That sucks."

"I've got worse on my plate to deal with."

"Tell me about it. So, do you live on campus or elsewhere?"

"On campus. I'm in the Creek dorms."

"Oh, me too." She spoke with a tone of surprise. "I don't think I've seen you around though."

"Ditto... but for the record, you probably haven't seen me around because I don't like to be seen." A moment after saying this, Phil shook his head slightly. "I realise now that that makes me sound brooding and deep and mysterious... a regular Edward Cullen, right?"

"I wouldn't know. I was forced to sit through the first movie with my little sister..." At the mention of Lizzie, she grew self-conscious of her problems again, but told herself to power on with the conversation. This was exactly what she did after a few seconds of collecting herself. "I don't think I ever want to see anything involving a vampire ever again."

"I'm impressed. Anyway, it's not that I don't want to be seen... I guess I just haven't found anyone worth hanging out with."

"Too good for everyone?"

His smirk returned. "Ha, if you want to put it like that. What I meant was that everyone around here is the same; I've had two months of airheads and materialistic people to deal with." While he spoke, Phil wiped at his hands with his napkin, preparing to leave after his half an hour's stay here. "I'm not someone who needs friends - I've got plenty back home - but it would sure as hell make my time here a lot easier."

"Well for your sake, I hope you do find someone to become friends with. A little tip though?"

She'd stopped before giving it, forcing him to pay full attention to her midway through zipping up his hoodie and getting to his feet. "Yeah? Lay it on me."

"Maybe _you_ should make some of the effort to find someone to talk to. You never know, they might appreciate the gesture... and not everyone around here is so bad."

"Sound advice. Not sure if I believe it, but I'll take it. See you around."

"Bye."

Maria followed his steps until he was out of the door and then she turned to face forwards again. Until her food arrived, she filled her thoughts with how odd it had been to have that random conversation with a total stranger... odd but somewhat pleasant. It had been refreshing to think about something other than Lizzie, even if her younger sibling was always at bay in her mind.

The walk back to her dorm was usually a quiet one, but with a new frame of mind came a new Maria, and so headphones were plugged in and the world was shut out. She waved a hello to Layla, unaware of the concerned look on her roommate's face when she turned her back, and lay back on her bed. Staring up at the ceiling, the student tried to tell herself to cheer up... that this wasn't who she was, and never would be.

She failed.


	4. Secret Admirer

**As Luck Would Have It  
**_- Secret Admirer -_

* * *

"Towel girl? He actually called you towel girl?"

The scoff of laughter in her right ear, swiftly followed by a much subtler giggle in her left, did little to sweeten Natalya's mood. Her eyes narrowed at her friends while she waited for them to stop. When they finally did, she went on to finish the story. "Yeah, so he leaves and then I finish up the flyers... and voila!" The blonde revealed them to Kaitlyn and Layla in the way a magician would reveal a dove from a top hat.

After exchanging glances across her, Layla returned to the matter. "So, you're going to hand out the flyers here? At the football game?"

"Soccer." Both girls corrected her instantaneously, and Layla rolled her eyes. Natalya continued. "I can't think of a better place to do it. Practically everyone's here."

"Yes, but they're paying attention to what's going on on the field. God knows this school takes its sport seriously."

If there was one thing Draculton University could be accounted for, aside from its prestigious status, it was their soccer team: only the very best played for the Eagles, and if you were lucky enough to draw first strings in your freshman year, chances were that you were pretty good.

John Cena, Mike Mizanin and Dolph Ziggler amongst a few others held that honour... and in fact, the latter of the athletic trio had just scored his second goal of the season. As the crowd roared their support, Dolph celebrated by running the length of the pitch, before sliding onto his knees in front of all the faces out there and striking a pose.

Kaitlyn wished they hadn't chosen seats near the corner: the soccer star had caught her eye and he winked at her, which she would have happily ignored if it wasn't for the fact that his girlfriend was now shooting daggers at her.

"I'm not into your boyfriend!" She shouted over the crowd noise, but Nikki Bella had already decided that she was. The girl huffed and crossed her arms strictly over her chest as she focused on Dolph again.

The boys were back into their game in the next minute and Natalya, oblivious to Kaitlyn's struggles, picked up the conversation from where they had left it. "It's _because _Draculton takes their sport seriously that I'm starting up a dodgeball society. I think it's going to be popular."

"Dodgeball's a bit different to football though."

"Soccer."

"I'm British, girls, that isn't going to change anytime soon."

"You know what?" Kaitlyn piped up, having come to a sudden revelation. "Even if it isn't popular, you can count on me as a teammate." She took a flyer out of the blonde's hands and began scanning the contents. "I think I'd kick major ass."

Natalya almost squealed in excitement. Managing to reign it in, she turned to the other girl. "Lay, are you in?"

"I don't know..." Her voice was already unsure in its tone. "It's not that I don't want to, but I'm so focused on my work right now... I had to work really hard to get in here and I don't want to slip up."

"Training is a couple of hours every Friday evening and the actual games are only twice a month." Kaitlyn had ascertained from the piece of paper. "It's really not that bad."

"I guess I could try it out then. I won't promise anything though."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you! Do you think Maria will want to join up too?"

The British girl thought of her roommate. Maria had been acting out of character ever since returning to school and although it was understandable considering the circumstances, she was still concerned for her. "Not sure." Layla finally settled for an answer and reached out for a leaflet. "I'll pass one on to her and see what she says."

Twenty minutes later, Kaitlyn and Layla weren't the only ones holding pink bits of paper. The trio had made quick work of the crowd and handed out the hundred copies between them. Personally, Natalya believed that for every tenth person who called it a joke and scrunched up the paper in a little ball, there was one who actually took notice of it and stored it away to look at later.

She was willing to be patient with this.

* * *

He could hear the Friday night crowd noise all the way from his bedroom.

Sitting up, Phil slipped on the nearest headphones he could find and blasted his music. He supposed there was one good thing about these sorts of nights: Cena would be out on the pitch and, when the game was done, he would be heading back home again for the weekend. The room was all his until Monday. With a smile, he lay back down again.

As the music played on, he opened up his mind to other thoughts: about home, about old friends, and about old things.

Coming to school here had been a drastic move for him - as was the makeover he'd undergone in the summer - and sometimes he wondered if it was all worth it. He'd wanted to make a fresh start. It hadn't been anything in-particular in his past that decided it for him: he just figured it was time for a shake-up. Long jet black hair was cut short, two more tattoos were added to his current sleeves... life changed.

Majoring in political science, he was interested in learning about the power of... well, power. It was the concept of losing yourself in that power and that knowledge that had him so interested in worldwide matters and how decisions were made.

It was also part of the reason he didn't like John Cena. His roommate was popular, and while everyone had their rank and that was just the way it worked, Cena was the type of guy who didn't use the power he had over his admirers to influence them. He just swanned around, pining over a girl he didn't have the courage to talk to despite his status, and hanging out with friends while he focused on little other than Layla and soccer.

But Phil? He wanted to change the world they lived in. Make it a better place. It seemed natural to make Draculton University his first choice. The school was a prestigious establishment and one of the very best for academic success and achievement in the workplace after his degree. He wanted to open up people's minds to other opinions and other ways of living... and if it meant moving all the way from Chicago to here to do it, to get his foot in the door, then so be it.

He just wished the people he was around weren't so bland and uninspired. The student couldn't think of a single person who'd captured his attention in the two months he'd been here.

Actually, now that he thought about it, maybe there was _one. _That girl he'd bumped into while eating out had been in the same mood as him: worn-out and sick of everything. What was her name - Maria something? It began with a K, whatever it was. He remembered their conversation from the other day well.

_"Well for your sake, I hope you do find someone to become friends with. A little tip though?"_

_"Yeah? Lay it on me."_

_"Maybe you should make some of the effort to find someone to talk to. You never know, they might appreciate the gesture... and not everyone around here is so bad."_

It hadn't clocked at the time, but Phil now realised that maybe she was someone to become friends with - or at least attempt to. Now he remembered that her last name was Kanellis.

Sitting up, he dragged his laptop up onto the bed from the floor and brought her up on Facebook. Her profile picture stared back at him a moment later: Maria and that vibrant red hair that had caught his attention in the first place, with her arms wrapped around a younger girl, the spitting image of her. He figured it was her sister.

A few seconds shy of sending a friendship request, he stopped to digest what he was doing. Was this a good idea? Did he really want her as a friend? Did he even want a friend? His finger seemed to make the decision for him, pressing down firmly, and then he was shutting down the laptop again and was back into his world of music, staring up at the ceiling.

Well, that had been unexpected.

* * *

As she had wanted to stop off at the vending machines before going back to the dorms, Kaitlyn parted ways with Natalya and Layla - who were ready to leave for their rooms - and silently made her own way five minutes across campus to the big student hall. The walk was a thought-provoking one and she found herself thinking of home, prompting her to make a grab for her phone once she was safely back in her room.

3 missed calls: two of those had been from Derrick, and the other from AJ. Damn.

When she found a voicemail message was also waiting for her, Kaitlyn was quick to bring it up and listened patiently as the familiar voice talked into her ear. _"Hey, it's Derrick... aaaaand you probably know that already. I've tried calling twice but I figure you're busy or something. Got hot Friday night plans? Don't tell me Kait's got a date? Anyway, I'm with AJ, Justin and Johnny - we were wondering if you wanted to hang out tonight. AJ's up for picking you up. If you get this message anytime soon get back to me. Miss ya face."_

The blonde listened to the information that told her the message had been left over two hours ago now, and sighed as she hung up the phone and threw it down onto her bed. There was no point ringing anyone now - they would be halfway through with whatever their plans were for tonight. The best thing she could do was get back to Derrick tomorrow and explain that she'd been at a football game and hadn't heard her phone go off.

Feeling disappointed in herself, she made her way over to her desk and slumped down in the chair. She'd have loved to have spent some time with her friends tonight. In a sense, she had with Natalya and Layla, but she meant her oldest friends: the ones she missed far too much. _There's always next time._ She told herself, a twinge of something not quite recognisable in her gut as she thought it.

A knock at her door had her lifting herself tiredly from her feet to answer it. She wondered who it was at this time of night. Not that she wasn't used to getting visitors, but she was tired and now all she could seem to think about was her lovely bed and how inviting it looked.

"I shouldn't have answered the door." The words spilled from her mouth before she could stop them.

Dolph Ziggler stared back at her, still sweaty and breathless from his soccer match. "Babe, you crush my heart, you really do."

"Save the names for Nikki... you know, your actual girlfriend? What are you doing here?" Her eyes took notice of the way a smirk appeared on his face, so confident and cocky, so... Dolph-like. "I don't know what you want from me but whatever it is, it ain't gonna happen."

"Relax." He put a hand on her shoulder. She instantly pushed it away and he, noticing this, straightened out and revealed something from his pocket. "I haven't come here on my behalf. This is for you."

"A card?"

"A special card. Seems you've got an admirer."

Confused, Kaitlyn took it from him and opened it. There were two sentences to read and by the time she was done, her eyes were back on him. "Is this some kind of a joke? Are we back in pre-school? You obviously know who this is from so just tell me... not that I'm interested, I just really want to go up to this guy and tell him what an immature idiot he is."

Dolph laughed at her for that. "Nah, I think I'll keep that information to myself - it's far more entertaining to see you this way. I'll give you a hint though: he's on my team. See you later, beautiful."

She wondered whether or not to pin him up against the wall to demand answers, but figured he'd only get turned on by the gesture, and in turn word would get out and Nikki Bella would probably hate her guts even more. Instead she watched him go, rolled her eyes, and slammed the door shut behind her. Now she really was ready for bed.

But it couldn't really be helped, Kaitlyn realised as she rubbed at the back of her neck and stared thoughtfully at the note, and moments later she'd opened it up again.

_I don't know if you're aware of it but you're something different around here. You make me smile._

Was that a smile of her own creeping up on her lips? Realising the answer, she banished it away and slumped down on her bed, covering her face with her arms. Why was college life so weird?


	5. Making a Good Impression

**As Luck Would Have It  
-**_ Making a Good Impression -_

* * *

Layla wasn't sure how long her fingertips had been hovering over the keyboard of her laptop. Two minutes? Five minutes? Could it have been ten? What she did know was that the deep gaze on her screen had been going on for entirely too long now, and it was with a dismissive wave of her hand at it that she pushed away from her desk to stand and stretch out her back.

What was it about this essay that was so hard to write? There were four hundred words left to go but for some reason they weren't springing to mind for her. She was uninspired to work.

She figured that a call to her mother was due: maybe it was the homesick feeling that had her distracted. Dialling the number, she was disheartened to hear the standard message tone and hung up without leaving one. So much for being cheered up with a reassuring conversation with good old mum.

"Back to the essay." She mumbled, but sighed in defeat when she realised her mug was empty and she would need a refill. "Or not."

Maria chose that moment to walk in and surprise Layla. The redhead offered an apologetic smile, handed over a warm styrofoam container and unwrapped the scarf from around her neck. Printed on the caramel-coloured cup were the words _Morning Joy_; this was the name of the local coffee shop on campus and both girls had been pleasantly surprised to discover they made very nice coffee.

"It's like you're a mind reader or something. I was literally just about to go and make some coffee. Thanks for this."

"That's okay. I figured you would be hiding away in here studying. I wasn't wrong."

"Apparently not." Layla shrugged and took a sip of the caramel latte. It was at times like these that she was grateful to have a friend who knew her every preference. "How are you feeling today?"

Maria considered the question. Today was one of her better days, even if she knew there was an underlying darkness just waiting to make a grab for her. "Yeah, I'm okay."

"Good to hear. Where have you been - classes?"

"Oh no, my lecture was cancelled. A good thing because my laptop packed up earlier and I wouldn't have been able to download the slides for today anyway. It also means no Facebook, no Twitter, none of that." The student said and pointed vaguely at the closed door. "I just took it down to the store to see if the computer guys could see what's wrong to fix it."

"I hate those sort of issues. Actually I kinda wish that mine wasn't working; it would save me from staring at the screen blankly while trying to figure out what to type next. I think I need a break."

"You seem like you could do with it."

"Well hey, why don't we pick back up on our usual routine? Do you want to go and do our laundry over coffee and a chat? We've already got the coffee."

"I'd love to but I have a million things to do. The first is to call my mom and check up on everything." As if to prove this, Maria dug her phone out from her pocket and waved it at her. "Wish I could though."

"It's not a problem, I'll just have music as my company instead. I'll give you some privacy."

"Thank you. Next time?"

"It's a date." Layla grinned and made a grab for her unwashed basket of laundry. After making sure she had enough change for the machines, the British girl opened the door and was about to leave, but remembered something else. "Oh, this is for you." It was hard to juggle a laundry basket and a cup of coffee but she somehow manoeuvred a flyer out of her back pocket. "I've been meaning to give you this."

"A dodgeball society? Wow, that's... adventurous."

She nodded at that. "Yeah. It was Nattie's idea, she reckons it'll be a hit. I somehow gave into the idea too and I think I'm part of the team now. She wanted me to give it to you in case you felt like joining. I said you might not want to though."

"Um, well I'll definitely think about it."

"Cool. I'll see you later."

The walk over to the on-campus laundrette was a pleasant enough one. With her headphones in, Layla was able to enjoy her brief break from studying with some soothing tunes playing into her ears. She was even lucky to get a free machine of the eight there in total. Once it was loaded and set off, she looked around for a vacant seat, finding one on a table that had been placed in the corner of the small room.

Now to wait an hour for her clothes to be washed and dried.

* * *

The sun was far too bright this morning. Although a sign of a good night, the headache that accompanied Eve that morning as she walked back from Maryse's dorm and to her own, not helped by the sun that was beating down onto campus, was not welcome right now. What she needed was to get back to her room, pull the blind down, pour herself an ice-cold glass of water and lay down. She would possibly have to stand if laying down proved too nauseating a task for her.

Oh, but it had been a good night. She would have smiled if she had the energy to do so.

Maryse was a party girl in her own right. The blonde and herself had spent most of the evening on the dance-floor, and when they weren't grinding the night away they were over by the bar getting bought expensive drinks by very handsome guys. Most of them were creepy and didn't have a shot with either one of them, but a free drink was a free drink. They'd finally exited the club at 3am and stumbled to get a taxi back here, where Eve had promptly collapsed on Maryse's bed and fallen right asleep.

The brunette was simply grateful that today was her day off and she didn't have any classes. It made her sick just to think about having to sit in a stuffy classroom hour after hour and listen to a monotonous tone. All that would be on her mind today was getting back to one-hundred percent.

_You left your earrings here. I'll bring them by when I'm more... urgh, sober. _An incoming text read when she checked her phone. Eve almost laughed - at least she wasn't as bad as her friend right now.

Busy putting her phone away, she missed her cue to look up and avoid the person she was about to tumble into, and smacked right into someone else's chest before she could stop herself. Her first task was to stop herself from falling; the second was to control the wave of nausea that came with the bump. If she had to be sick, it would be inside where no-one would see her.

"Good morning, beautiful. A bit distracted this morning?"

Eve looked up at his comment. With blonde hair, blue eyes and a confident smirk, the guy seemed familiar to her. She was certain she'd seen him before. Still, it didn't mean that she wanted to see him right now. "Please get out of my way. I have a bed to get to."

"Busy night?"

"What's it to you? Don't tell me you're trying to live vicariously through me? I mean, it makes sense, you don't look like you get out much." When she was tired, cranky and hungover, she was more of a bitch than she already knew she was.

"I'd rather be me right now than you. Last night I had a soccer training session that resulted in me beating my personal best for scoring goals, so I'm feeling pretty good about myself. All you have to show for last night is a hangover that I bet is agony to deal with this morning."

So that was where she recognised him from. Eve had been down to the field to see a few of the Draculton soccer matches, and other than checking out the guys who were playing on either team, she'd also noted who they were. One of her rules coming here was that she wouldn't hook up with one of them: popular guys like that were trouble and even if they had a mutual interest in hooking up without strings attached, there was always the problem of running into them again on campus.

This guy was called The Miz. A stupid name if you asked her, but she wasn't about to indulge him in that. She gave a pinched smile. "Is that your way of chatting a girl up? A little tip: you probably shouldn't call a girl beautiful and then insult her."

"You would know it if I was chatting you up. Trust me on that."

"Don't feel offended but I don't think I would trust you on anything."

Her smile dropped and she pushed him out of the way - or at least attempted to. He was quite solid and, not that she would admit it, but she wouldn't have been able to move him aside on her own had he not complied. Eve also avoided another soccer star, John Cena, on her way into the building. She rolled her eyes at the men getting in her way today and made even quicker steps to get back to the privacy of her room.

"The Ice Queen is on full form today." Cena remarked to Miz when they were outside.

"She's such a bitch. I'm over her." He rolled his eyes. Recognising the duffel bag in his friend's hands, he nodded, "Where are you off to?"

"Just going to do some laundry. Figured it was time." The guy shrugged. "Uh, good luck with being over her. You're lovestruck, dude."

The Miz simply scoffed as he watched him walk away. He really wasn't up for wasting his time on someone like Eve Torres any more. There were plenty more fish in the sea.

* * *

So far, Layla had been able to occupy her time at the laundrette well. A surprise phone-call from her mother - just the person she wanted to hear from - was enough to distract her from her surroundings and she'd had a good fifty minutes of catching up with her family while drinking the rest of her creamy beverage. It had been a pleasant enough moment for her to indulge in.

Now, for the remaining time until her clothes were done, she was focused on thoughts of work and how difficult it was proving to be. She was well aware that many people had laughed when she'd told them her choice of degree was a tough one. This included members of her family, who couldn't possibly see how studying for a career in film studies and television could be defined as difficult. They thought of it how others thought of most performing arts subjects: an easy ride and not a real subject to study.

They couldn't have been more wrong. Immersed in structuring opinions and facts for essays, on top of trying to find work experience and placements, it was hard to get to grips with it all. _Four hundred words. Just four hundred words... _Yet it seemed like a milestone to get over until she could finish her report, and in fact, the stress was building up again and that tension was returning to her back.

The door swinging open had her turning in position to see who it was. In came a sports guy with a pile of laundry, easily identifiable with those muscles and that shape, with his head down while he listened to heavy rap music. Layla stared at him for a moment longer than she knew was necessary. She couldn't help it. That face, she'd seen it somewhere before...

Suddenly, it hit her. The British girl had seen him on two occasions: firstly at the evacuation point where they were to report to in case of a fire alarm, which had been going off a lot recently now that she thought about it, and secondly at the football game. He'd scored an amazing goal at the match.

He seemed to notice her seconds after she looked away. Having just loaded his clothes into the machine, Cena could only watch as she took hers out and folded them neatly into the basket she'd brought with her. God, she was still as stunning as ever, perhaps even more so up close. He paused his music so he could concentrate.

"Hey." He smiled at her.

"Oh, hi." Layla smiled back, noticing how he'd turned off his music. Had that been for her or just because the music was too loud for a quiet place like this? "John Cena, right?"

He knew he looked surprised that she even knew his name. "Yeah, that's me."

"Don't worry, I'm not a stalker or anything. I was at the football - sorry, soccer - game last Friday when you scored that goal. The commentator screamed your name out over the speakers so loud that it was hard not to take notice of it."

Cena laughed at this. "Yeah, I think he got a little too excited over that."

"So did the crowd. You're a star in their eyes."

"How about in yours?" The question had been daring, he knew that, but he couldn't stop himself from asking all the same.

"Hmm, I guess it depends on how you perform at the next game." Layla smiled at him again. Folding up the last of her clothes, she collected her music player and phone to rest on top of them. "You've made a good impression so far though."

That smirk of his was on show as she left the building, and she couldn't help but keep one of her own to herself as she walked back to the dorms. He was very cute. _If only I hadn't sworn dating off guys this year,_ she thought to herself. Her rule to focus on work and not give in to the distractions around her was still a smart one to make, she quickly decided. It just happened to be a little disappointing too.


	6. Two Strangers

**As Luck Would Have It  
**_- Two Strangers -_

* * *

Tryouts were always a nerve-wracking experience to go through. Would you be good enough to succeed? Would you choke under the pressure? The ultimate question always remains: do you have what it takes to make it?

On the opposite end of the spectrum, it was a whole other experience to be on the other side of it - to be the one to hold judgement of a performance and be the deciding factor. Natalya had never been put in such a position of authority before but today appeared to be the start of something new. She and Kaitlyn were busy this morning setting up the sports hall for dodgeball society auditions, where later on they would be making the final call for who made the team and who didn't.

Despite the society being Natalya's idea in the first place, Kaitlyn exuded the most excitement of the two, and said as much as they set it all up. "We get to sit up regally and beckon them in. We get to put them in teams and watch them destroy each other all for the sake of securing a place with us. We're practically Queens."

The two girls, while tying up the net, were stood at polar ends of the hall. This meant there was more than enough distance between them. Nonetheless, Natalya's amused grin was still all too visible as she remarked, "Don't get too ahead of yourself. I'm just happy people took notice of my ads and signed up. I think that's pretty cool."

"It really is, Nat. You should be proud of yourself for organising this." There was a short moment of peace as the friends smiled at each other, although Kaitlyn made sure to ruin it in true fashion to her character. "I'm still going to think of myself as a Queen sitting in her rightful place on the throne though."

"That throne is the front row of the bleachers. Besides, who knows how many people will show up? Even if they do and they're not good, we might have to accept them anyway just to fill a quota."

"Urgh no, only the best will do. I have decreed this in my role as Queen Kaitlyn of Draculton."

"I worry about you sometimes. Has anyone ever told you how weird you are?"

Kaitlyn mused on this and decided that the answer was yes. On many occasions, AJ and company had told her that the things she came out with were the epitome of weird, although there was always one snag in their argument and an advantage in hers: they were as equally as weird as her. Looking at their group from a purely observational point of view, one could easily ascertain that she and her friends were too immature for their age.

But personally, she wouldn't change who they were - and who she was - for the world.

"Is everything okay?" She zoned back in to a worried expression on the face of Natalya, who'd caught a tinge of sadness pass on her friend's face mere seconds ago. "I didn't offend you, did I?"

"No, of course not!" The blonde was quick to reassure her. Truthfully, she had just been thinking about AJ and how they hadn't spent much time together recently. It seemed to be a growing concern. "I was just distracted. That was all."

"Well okay. I'm going to stick this poster up outside on the door - tryouts start in ten minutes. I might get something from the vending machine, too. Do you want anything?"

"I'm okay actually. I brought some snacks with me."

"Be back in a second then."

As she left her friend behind, Natalya felt a flurry of emotions attack her stomach. She was nervous, excited and intrigued all at the same time, and with those feelings came a strong sense of encouragement. To feel these things meant that she was taking up a challenge she was truly invested in. Whatever the outcome—a good turnout or a bad one—she would take comfort in the fact that at least she had tried. That was enough for her.

Proudly, the dedicated student stuck the poster up on the sports hall door and stepped back to admire her work. It looked just like her flyer but in bigger-size form: in luminous pink embossed with black block letters advertising today's tryouts, it would be identifiable to anyone who walked by.

"Hmm, impressive."

Apparently somebody else had already seen her handiwork. Natalya turned... straight into Wade Barrett's impassive expression. He might have said that the poster was impressive but his expression didn't show anything of the sort. She folded her arms over her chest - a natural habit to take up when opposite this guy - and waited for him to offer a smart remark.

When he didn't, and after they had participated in an odd staring competition, she bit the bullet for him. "Go ahead. Say something that you think is clever and witty when all you're really doing is showing off in front of your friends." Natalya nodded at the group at a distance behind him. The soccer team were gathered together and talking amongst each other, but not really in the vicinity to hear what they were talking about.

Wade glanced to them and back to her. "We just finished up a training session. Us running into each other? That's a coincidence." He made sure to state. "Nice job, towel girl. Let's hope people actually show up."

"Why would you hope anything for me? People _will _show up."

"I'm always a gentleman, Natalya. You should really know that about me."

"There's a reason the British are always the evil ones in movies."

"I'm hurt that you would stoop to such prejudice." As if to prove this, he pressed a hand to his chest and adopted a new look. Wade was quite good at feigning the hurt look, she mused. "I was really just rooting for you... but I suppose you wouldn't mind if I—_we_, the team—stuck around to see who showed up. Would you?"

He was testing her. On some level, she knew this. Hell, on _every_ level, she knew he simply wanted to get under her skin. Wade Barrett had been trying to do that ever since their first conversation, for God knows what reason. Still Natalya foolishly allowed herself to be baited out, replying, "Go for it. Invite all the guys to sit in if you want. Auditions start in five minutes."

"Good to know. Hey guys—" Wade turned to his team mates, who were captured by his attention almost immediately. He smirked at them. "Anyone want to see some girls play with balls?" They either laughed, smirked or added a sly comment in response to this.

By the time he turned back around, Natalya had disappeared from sight. Didn't she know anything about this little game of theirs? It was half the fun to see that crinkle in the middle of her forehead every time he said something offensive and she didn't like it. He shook his head and thought:_ towel girl, why are you so easy to piss off?_

* * *

One of the things Maria loved about living on campus was that all the essentials were taken care of. A roof over your head? Check. A selection of places to eat from when you didn't feel like cooking for yourself? Check. A plethora of ventures to undertake in your free time such as the gym and society activities to take part in? Check.

Another thing handy to have was a computer store hosted by technology geniuses who could tender to every student's needs. Maria was nothing less than impressed to get a phone call mid-afternoon from Stuart—the manager of the place—telling her that her laptop was ready to be picked up after only a couple of days away. Apparently, it had only needed a cleaning out and now it was as good as new.

"We had to wipe off the nail polish. I apologise if that was some sort of artistic... thing." Stuart, who had a way with computers, did not with words.

She laughed nonetheless. "Nothing artistic. That's just me doing my nails over my laptop and occasionally spilling it, so nothing to worry about. Thanks for this."

It was a beautiful day on campus and she found herself sliding her sunglasses down from her head to her eyes to protect them from the sun beating down on the grounds. It would be good to have her laptop back and be able to return to her studies securely... but something was stopping her from being happy about it.

As usual, Lizzie Kanellis was on her mind eating away at her thoughts. The redhead was mere seconds shy of biting off her nails, so decided that it would be a better idea to shift her attention to her cell phone. She dialled the first number on her speed dial and waited for an answer.

_"Maria, honey, you know I love you." _This was the first thing her mother said when she finally picked up. It didn't bode well for the rest of the conversation. _"You have to stop calling constantly like this. What was it I told you yesterday?"_

"I know, I need to get back to college life and enjoy it... but I can't help but worry, you know? Is she doing any better today?"

A sigh was heard from the other end of the line. It was one that Maria could identify all too easily - the one that said Karen Kanellis was defeated by her eldest daughter. _"She came down fo__r breakfast this morning and sat with us. It's a step in the right direction. She's still a little jumpy and it's going to take hard work but she's on the right path. Lizzie has another appointment later this afternoon and she doesn't seem too reluctant to go that much any more. To be honest, I think she's starting to realise that it can help her."_

"Good. That's good." The student was able to breathe out a sigh of relief.

_"Maria, please just relax. Can you do that for me? I already have one daughter who's acting out of character, I don't want another one doing it too." _Her mother sounded like she was at her wit's end. _"Go to the beach - make a day of it with your friends! I'm sure they'd love to hang out with you and you need a break from all of this anyway. So do I. Do something anything... this stress is not good for any of us."_

"Are you trying to guilt-trip me?" Maria asked with a hint of a smile at her lips. She desperately wanted to be at home with her folks and - more importantly - her sister, but her mom had a good point about needing to catch up with her friends. She'd felt guilty about it recently, especially rejecting Layla constantly. "Okay Mom, I'll come up with an idea... maybe a beach day is a good thing to do. The soccer team here sometimes have one after a big win and I think there's one coming up on Saturday."

_"See, there you go. I promise you that if anything changes you'll be the first one to know. All you need to know for right now is that Lizzie is getting there. It'll be a slow journey but she'll recover."_

It was these words that gave her the strength to ease up a little bit. She hadn't known how much she'd been torturing herself over her sister's turmoil until now. Maybe it was time to take a day out of these emotions to catch up with Layla and the girls' and have a good time enjoying each other's company. It even sounded like a good prospect to her now.

"You're right." She admitted finally.

_"So, how are your studies going? What about that catch up exam you had to take?"_

Maria loosened up, happy to be able to tell her that the results had been posted yesterday and she was back on form. She had passed with flying colours.

Now relaxed, she allowed herself to take in her surroundings. There were plenty of people around today but it didn't surprise her: who wouldn't waste their time curled up against a tree with a book in this heat? Among the students that caught her attention was a familiar face. She stopped conversation for a moment to smile at Phil - the guy she had met at the student bar - who had just noticed her too. He didn't smile back; just gave a blank expression before walking off again. Her own smile faltered after that. What was his problem?

_"Maria, are you still there?"_

"Yeah, I'm still here. Sorry about that..."

Maybe he didn't remember her. Oddly, the thought of this disheartened her. She and Phil's conversation had been short and just a way to let off some steam on both ends but she had thought... well, never mind now. They were just two strangers. That was all there was to it.

With her resolve strengthening once again, Maria returned to her conversation, already beginning to feel that smile returning at the thought of a much-needed beach day with her friends.

* * *

Thankfully, dozens of girls had shown up for Natalya's dodgeball society auditions. The student was ecstatic - so much was she revelling in the adrenalin that came with it that it was only too easy to ignore Wade, who sat with his soccer buddies high up in the bleachers. There may have been twelve of them in attendance but she was paying attention to not a single one of them. Her eyes were focused on the potential players in front of her.

"This girl is amazing!" She'd had her eye on one of them for a while now. Dark-haired, jet black in fact, with a lip piercing and a killer combination of fantastic aim and concentration. "Number sixteen. Paige Knight. What do you think?"

"I think that one of them wrote me a note saying I make them smile yet not one of them is looking my way now." Kaitlyn shook her head. "What the hell is it with guys? They say women are the confusing ones but I beg to differ."

Natalya, who had heard all about her friend's predicament, couldn't help but laugh. "Can you focus on the girls' in front of us please and not on them? They're more important."

"Yeah sure, okay."

But Kaitlyn made sure to check out the soccer guys for just a moment longer to make her own assumptions. It couldn't be Wade—he was too wrapped up with whatever his game plan was with Natalya. It wasn't Miz, he was infatuated with Eve, and that counted for a number of the other guys. Was it John Cena? No, they couldn't be each other's type. This left it down to three: Antonio Cesaro, Cody Rhodes and Alex Riley. None of them would be her choice.

About to look away, she caught Dolph's eye, who she predicted well enough would make some sort of gesture. He winked at her. "I'm definitely back to focusing on the match. Don't worry about that." She told Natalya, tossed her two-toned hair over her shoulder and looked head-on.

Natalya was shocked to have to turn people away, but soon enough she was doing just that, weeding out the bad from the good and keeping on those who could hack it out there. Half an hour later, six girls stood in front of Natalya and Kaitlyn, having passed the test.

The officiator for the audition knew their names from where they stood next to each other: Paige Knight, Tamina Snuka, Alicia Fox, Maryse Ouellet, Sasha Banks and Beth Phoenix. Each of these ladies had a special spark in them when it came to dodgeball and both she and Kaitlyn had recognised it in them today.

"Girls', I think we have ourselves a great dodgeball team here. You should all be proud of yourselves." Natalya grinned at each in turn.

They all looked either happy to be there (Sasha), smug about being chosen (Maryse, Paige, Tamina) or simply accepting of the news (Alicia, Beth).

Kaitlyn proceeded to explain to them just how things were going to go, and that they would soon be joined by another girl called Layla. Maria was also a possibility, but she declined to comment on the redhead until she knew for certain. "There'll be official attire for us to wear. Dodgeball, believe it or not, is a competitive sport around universities so we'll be having regular competitions with opposing teams. Training is mandatory and every Friday evening for two hours, while actual games are twice a month..."

Though this was important information to be heard, Natalya knew all of it already and tuned out her friend to smile down at the floor. She couldn't seem to conceal it actually; this coming together as a united front was all down to _her. _She had done all of this. What a rush!

Looking up, the blonde couldn't help but glance over to the bleachers where Wade and his friends sat. He was staring straight at her. Confidently, Natalya shot him a look - a smug expression that showed off how proud of herself she was. To give him his due, the British guy merely responded with a _touché _expression. Now he looked impressed.

Natalya grinned as she looked away. That had felt good.


	7. She Changed

**As Luck Would Have It  
**_- She Changed -_

* * *

_"I can't believe your life right now!"_

With her phone glued to her ear, Kaitlyn nodded in agreement, although of course AJ wouldn't be able to see the gesture. Their conversation had been going strong for a good ten minutes now, and impressively, both girls had managed to inform the other of their love life situations already. While there was no shock to be had from an excerpt of AJ's world—she and Justin were still happily together—the blonde's world was a whole different story.

AJ couldn't quite believe it. "So, some random guy goes old-school and writes you a note... and the guy with the spaghetti-looking hair who you're repulsed by because he can't stop flirting delivers it to you. You have two guys interested in you!"

"I could do with less of the surprise in your tone."

_"Kait, you know what I mean. This is exciting!"_

"Except for the fact that one of those guys has a girlfriend and the other one is too chicken to come right out and say how he feels to my face."

_"I personally think it's romantic."_

"I know what you look like right now - get that dopey smile off your face." A scoff from AJ's end was enough to produce a grin on Kaitlyn's lips. She knew her best friend far too well. "You practically live in the world of romance on a daily basis anyway. What makes Justin Gabriel so perfect? Is he secretly Ryan Gosling?"

_"Oh yeah, and I'm Rachel McAdams. Don't tell anyone though - we're trying to keep it a secret."_

"Which is exactly what Mr. Admirer is trying to do too. It's so frustrating. We're all adults here, so what's the point in hiding it? The worst I could do is say no."

_"Maybe he's the sensitive type... an artist who stares longingly at you when you're not looking, thinking that if you would just turn your head to a certain angle he could paint your portrait perfectly... or feel inspired to write a novel based entirely around you—"_

"Please shut up."

AJ had a tendency to run off on these little tangents and it was always those three words that brought her crashing back into reality. Kaitlyn rolled her eyes in a playful manner while the petite girl apologised, sounding quite abashed in her tone. They went on to talk for a few minutes about the possibilities of who it was but ultimately got nowhere trying to come up with an answer.

"Let's just talk about something else." The student said eventually. She was tired of this topic. "How's Derrick?"

_"You haven't talked to him?"_

"Not for a few days. Why? Has something happened with him?"

_"Well... just like you have your admirer, he has his too."_

"You're kidding!" She laughed. "Who is it?"

AJ sounded like she was smiling as she remarked, _"Do you remember that girl who always sat at the back of our Math class? Olive Matherson? Turns out she's not a lesbian as I previously thought. She came into the grocery store at four in the morning, totally drunk off her face after a night out, and stumbled - literally - into Derrick. She told him that she'd always had a crush on him in high school and that they should hook up. Derrick - being Derrick - agreed."_

"Ha, of course he did. I'm going to have to get in touch with him later to find out the details." Her friend cracked a few jokes on the matter and Kaitlyn laughed, before they both moved back onto the topic of home.

Thirty minutes in distance didn't seem like too big of a stretch between the girls but the blonde found herself aching for the comfort of being back there quickly: talk of her friends, of AJ bumping into her mother at the cafe, and of beach hang outs were enough to bring about that queasy feeling. Add to that the belief that it was only a matter of time before there would be a strain on all her old friendships and it was enough to make her feel sad all over again.

To think she'd been so excited about having the time to call AJ today...

_"You've gone quiet. Is everything okay? "_

Kaitlyn started immediately, wanting to reassure her friend. "Yeah, I just got distracted." It was partly true. Layla appeared through her open door with a friendly albeit apologetic smile and a stack of folders under her right arm. She had forgotten they'd made plans to study in the library today after classes. "Is it alright if I call you back later? I've made plans to go to the library with a friend."

_"It's fine, I've got to get ready for my shift anyway. Don't have too much fun, study girl. Talk to you later."_

"Bye."

"Was that AJ?" Layla asked as she watched the student hang up her phone. She knew the pair were close. "I didn't mean to interrupt."

"Yeah, it was. Don't worry about it - my phone bill will thank you for it. We'd been talking to each other for too long anyway. Are you ready to go?"

"Sure. I've got my stuff. Get coffee on the way there or the way back?"

"The way there. I need something to get me amped up for this study session."

"Good point. Hey," said Layla, glancing at Kaitlyn as she collected up her laptop and prepared to leave. "You know how Maria's suggested this beach trip on Saturday? Why don't you invite AJ and your friends along too? I'd love to meet them - I'm sure the girls' would too."

Thinking it over, Kaitlyn realised that this was actually a solid idea. Why hadn't she thought of it herself? She, AJ and the gang had frequented the beach many a time during high school and over the summer. It would be great to mix her group of friends. "I think I will." The blonde nudged her friend on the shoulder and smiled. "Thanks."

* * *

It was a rare moment when Phil thought of himself as a prize idiot—he usually shared those thoughts for Cena and his buddies—but this time round he had good reason to want to smack his open palm against his forehead in shame. It was all to do with a certain red-headed girl he'd met by chance, the random idea to add her on Facebook, and the way he had gone about it.

_I shouldn't have added her. Why the hell did I anyway? _Usually he wouldn't waste such time on matters like this but seeing her the other day had reminded him of her and what he had done.

He and Maria had almost crossed paths on campus. _Almost._ She had smiled at him with recognition, like she knew his face from their first meeting. It only confirmed what he had been wondering since playing the waiting game: she hadn't accepted his Facebook request and their moment was supposed to be just that. One moment between two strangers that was better best forgotten. So he walked away from her, shaking his head as he went.

Now he was punishing himself for even looking into her background in the first place. He'd taken her comment of it not being difficult to find a friend around here as something else... and now, of course, he was more the fool for it.

Phil retired from the treadmill in the on-campus gym and zipped up his hoodie as he prepared to leave. Over-thinking the situation with Maria had led to a good workout session and he was sure his body would thank him for it later on. Sticking his ear buds in, he left the gym and allowed himself to relax into his personal world of music, enjoying that comfort of feeling a little more like himself. This university had a way of alienating him, though he'd recently questioned whether he was allowing it to, but it was the little things that made up for it.

Returning to his room wasn't as satisfying an experience as he hoped it would be. His plans included diving back into work for a couple of hours, then catching up with the newest _The_ _Walking Dead _episode, and then grabbing some dinner. All this he was hoping to do in peace, but upon opening his door and seeing Cena and one of his soccer friends with him, he realised that wasn't going to happen.

"Punk." The popular guy greeted him, his smile tightening. "We'll be out of here in five."

"Hey man, Kofi Kingston, nice to meet you."

As he passed, his eyes glossed over the new guy: black, dreadlocks, had a lazy smile that Phil imagined gave way to a laid-back attitude. He knew Cena to be a jackass. One question crossed his mind. What the hell were these two doing hanging out? He was certain the pair had nothing in common. "Phil... or Punk, as he—" He made a half-hearted effort to point at his roommate. "—calls me. You're on the team too?"

"Yeah. Not as good as my boy here but getting there. I've already told him to watch out for me." Kofi smirked when Cena punched him on the shoulder. "Cool tats," he added when Phil stripped out of his hoodie and revealed his sleeves.

"... Thanks." It took a moment for him to reply. His eyes locked onto a tribal tattoo on Kofi's left upper arm. "I see you like 'em too. Is that your only one?"

"Unfortunately. I've been thinking about getting one on my spine but I'm not decided about it yet... plus, I'm sure my mom would pass out from the shock."

Phil smirked. "I'm pretty sure I wore mine down from a young age with my persistence to get tattoos. As you can see, I won that argument."

John cleared his throat as he threw a book down onto his desk. "Alright, I've got the information. You ready to head to the library?"

"Let's do it." Kofi turned once at the door before leaving, throwing a light smile in Phil's direction. "Good to meet you, man."

"Yeah." He responded, surprised to find that he agreed.

Peace and quiet finally fell over the room and he relaxed back in his desk chair. While he waited for his laptop to boot up and load the web, he sniffed himself. He supposed having a shower could be added to the list of things to do. He checked the usual sites, planning on having a quick look before getting on with work, but something caught his eye before he had a chance to shut down Facebook.

_Maria Kanellis has accepted your friend request. 2 hours ago._

* * *

"... And, so, this is why the penguins need your help."**  
**

Kaitlyn sat perfectly still while Layla finished up her mock-presentation. She had donned a smile ever since the start of it, although it couldn't match up to the gigantic one on her friend's face, and now it was threatening to break out into a laugh. They had come to study for a presentation that Layla had due in in a matter of days but the British girl had let her hair down for once, pretending that she was really a narrator for a wildlife channel and appealing desperately towards the audience.

"You're going to make a great presenter one day." Kaitlyn laughed. "That was perfect. It really makes me want to donate to the penguins to save their lives... well, it would but I heard that they're necrophiliacs, so that makes me feel less sorry for them."

Layla scrunched up her nose in disgust. "Added to the list of things I didn't want to know." She took a seat back at their table and collected her things together. After studying them for a few moments, her nerves returned to her. "That was fun to do but I really am worried about the solo presentation next week. What if I screw it up?"

"Lay, I've never seen anyone more dedicated to their work than you. You're going to do just fine. I promise you."

"You're right, I'm just worrying about nothing... but say that one more time just so it _really_ sinks in."

The blonde angled her head to the side, giving a knowing look to her friend. "You worry too much."

The media studies student found she could agree with this. But was it really her fault that she wanted to succeed so much? She may only have just started her course but this was four years that she wanted to make the most out of. Making it into this prestigious university had been a very proud moment, not only for herself, but for her family too, and she only wanted to go up from here.

Before she had a chance to say as much, Kaitlyn distracted her by kicking her lightly under the table and nodding in the direction of the library doors. They were in the perfect position to see who was coming through but to be hidden from view as not to get caught looking. It was John Cena and Kofi Kingston, and just one look at the former of the two was enough to send a warm tingle down her neck.

"Are you looking forward to seeing them at the beach on Saturday? No wait, are you excited to see Cena? I have seen that boy checking you out... and now you get to do the same when he takes off his shirt."

"Stop it." Layla hissed but turned back to the door anyhow. There was no harm in looking. Except they were gone from sight and heading through the door now was someone she really didn't want to see. "Urgh."

"Eve?"

"Yeah." She breathed out the word angrily. "I just... I don't like seeing her around."

"You and me both." For a moment, Kaitlyn watched as Layla gathered her scattered work up into one tidy pile, and then hesitantly, she asked, "What happened between you two? I mean... I know you guys used to be friends but I can't ever see how. You're polar opposites."

Layla took that as a compliment but stiffened at the memories that came with her curious friend's question. She supposed it would only be a matter of time before anyone asked; all she had offered up to anyone was how they used to be friends but were no longer. An explanation was in order and it was about time to give it.

"She changed." The British girl started, unsure how else to. It was the simplest way to put what she wanted to get across. "We were best friends throughout high school. When I moved over here to America in my freshman year she took me under her wing and we hit it off straight away. We had a lot of things in common—a passion for dance and the arts, films and music, boys. Then - towards the end of senior year - she just... changed. She changed her dress sense, slutted it up a bit more and got more popular."

"Just like that? That's odd. Was there a reason behind it?"

"Yeah, there was... I just never found out what it was. I wondered if something had gone on at home but I don't think that was it." A shrug lifted her shoulders before she returned to conversation. "All I know is that she ditched me for guys and superficial things—these mundane things she swore she hated like clubbing and being popular—and gone was the Eve Torres I knew. I kept my head down for the rest of the year and focused on getting into here instead of worrying about her. I knew when a friendship was lost for good."

"That's so sad... and she's _such _a bitch." Kaitlyn shook her head in disgust.

Used to thinking such things herself but never voicing them aloud, she gave a slight nod. "Yeah, I suppose she is."

"I guess at least it's allowed you to find some actual friends." A smirk appeared at the corner of the blonde's lips. "Of course I'm talking about myself because I'm just too awesome—"

"Of course."

"But you know you've got Nattie and Maria as well. We're never going to do that to you."

"I know you won't."

Despite only knowing the three girls for a couple of months, Layla found herself putting trust into Kaitlyn's words. They had formed a bond quickly which had been a relief for her. Finding friends after the whole Eve debacle had been a concern of hers, but from the moment she met Maria and they'd had their first real conversation, and after the redhead had introduced her to Natalya and Kaitlyn, there had been nothing to worry about any more.

It didn't stop her from wondering about Eve though. As the brunette passed their table, either unaware of their presence or ignoring them, her eyes followed her former friend until she was suddenly out of view. She pursed her lips in a thin line briefly. It still surprised her how people could so quickly change. _Oh well, she's not your problem any more. Be thankful for what you do have._

Returning to her conversation with Kaitlyn, who promptly stuck her tongue out at her in a goofy pose to cheer her up, Layla found it easy to do.


	8. Sooner or Later

**As Luck Would Have** **It**  
_- Sooner or Later -_

* * *

There was no bigger divide on campus than the following: those who used the night time for sleep and those who didn't, choosing the nocturnal life instead. Many liked to get an early night's sleep so they were refreshed and alert for morning lectures while others... well, not so much. For them it was all about the nightlife - partying their drunk asses off and then collapsing into bed in exhaustion in the early hours of the morning, sleeping in way past their scheduled study sessions.

Tonight, Eve had made the controversial switch from party-goer to goody-two-shoes. Maryse had been gob-smacked when told about her plans to catch up on sleep—ultimately missing out on the frat party of a lifetime—but the brunette had persisted. The promise to make it up to her by going out the following night had been enough to make her disappear.

There were some distant sounds of drunk students yelling in the background outside, aggravating many tucked in for the evening, but there was no getting through to Eve. She had really meant it when she said she could be catching up on sleep; the girl had been out like a light the moment her head hit the pillow.

Only it wasn't a dream that was keeping her occupied. There were a few give-aways that she was, in fact, suffering from a nightmare: the tossing and the turning, and the quiet whimpers that occasionally escaped her mouth. The scenario of her nightmare was familiar, and unfortunately, had been recurring for months now. Fretfully, Eve's lips pursed in reality while the Eve of her dreams backed up against a graffiti-covered wall. There she was at her old high school, desperately afraid as three bodies advanced towards her, staring her down.

It always started like this. She would be running through town, barely able to catch her breath, until she ended up at the same spot against the same wall. Three faceless girls would crack their knuckles threateningly and she would plead for release. It was a silent request; her mouth would open but words wouldn't come out in her nightmares.

The Eve of her dreams was an innocent party who hadn't done anything wrong. _She _was a good girl. Having done nothing to deserve this beatdown, Eve would plead for her life. The faceless girls only continued stepping towards her.

"No, please don't."

"Eve..."

"Please... please... I'm begging."

"Eve!"

Suddenly, she was being shaken awake, the hand clenched on her shoulder too hard to ignore. Eve jerked back into reality quickly. Her wide eyes found the concerned gaze of Alicia Fox, her roommate.

"Hey, are you okay? You were screaming."

She licked her dry lips and sat upright, steadying herself. "I'm fine - just had a nightmare. You should go back to bed."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

Alicia seemed to hesitate in doing so, but traipsed back over to her side of the room nonetheless. She might have let it slip to Eve that this wasn't the first time she'd heard her having a nightmare—in fact, it happened almost every other night, she just hadn't interrupted like she had tonight—but something told her not to.

Once Alicia was asleep again, Eve clasped her hands together above her duvet, trying to stop them from shaking. _This is stupid_, she mused. This was a nightmare she had suffered many times before, but it would always take forever to stop the shaking despite knowing the events weren't real.

Without quite meaning to, she thought of her cousin, Catherine; she always did after these recurring nightmares. What was she doing now? Was she okay? Sticking to routine, Eve also refrained from thinking about her any further. This would do nothing to ease her current mood. Instead, she settled back into bed, ignoring the dryness in her throat to attempt another shot at catching up with lost sleep before her early morning class.

By one the next day, it was like nothing had happened overnight at all. Her class ended and she packed everything away with the smile she had gotten used to painting on by now, before departing from the lecture hall to go and meet up with Maryse.

The blonde girl had the perfect smirk on her face after meeting. "I've found someone for you that I think you're going to like."

Eve shook her head slightly. "Why am I not surprised? Name?"

"Adrian. He's not your usual scene... a bit more grungy, but he rocks the bad boy style. I've known him for a couple of years so I know he's cool. How about I grab some more guys and we hang out at his pool house at the weekend? He's available on Saturday evening."

Available seemed an odd word to use but the brunette skimmed past it, instead focusing her attention on her friend's impatient expression. "I guess so. Why not?"

"Great. You're going to _love_ him."

The only appropriate response to this seemed to be a slight shrug. Eve wasn't as boy-crazy as Maryse, even if her persona boasted otherwise. "So what are you up to now? Wanna grab lunch?"

"Sure... oh. I can only hang out for the next twenty minutes though." Maryse looked from her watch back to her friend, who was staring at her in confusion. "I have to meet up with Natalya Neidhart and the rest of the team to get my uniform."

"Right - the dodgeball thing." She couldn't help but laugh. It still amused her that someone such as Maryse - a girl with a princess 'can't-break-a-nail' persona - would sign up for something like this. Life was full of surprises, she supposed. "Who's on the team? Anyone I know?"

"Alicia but I'm sure you already know that. She's bound to have told you. Hmm, let's see: these freakish girls Tamina and Beth, though I'm not sure they're even girls, Sasha... reminds me of an overexcited puppy dog... Paige, Kaitlyn, some girl called Layla El."

As with any mention or thought of her ex-best friend, the student tensed up, although the girl beside her didn't appear to notice. It was just as well - she didn't want to have to explain her connection with Layla and how that friendship had gone to hell. Before she could get wrapped up in guilt, she zoned back into the conversation. It was a relief to find Maryse was onto something else now.

"I hope the uniforms aren't ugly. Oh God, if they are..."

"You'd be able to pull anything off." Eve complimented her, grinning. "I'm sure the guys won't mind seeing you in any sort of uniform anyway."

The conversation revolved back to the subject of the other gender and the two girls headed for the cafeteria to grab some lunch. Eve was relieved that she could now be back in her comfort zone and away from the touchy subjects she didn't like to think about. _They'll catch up with you sooner or later, _her mind told her. The brunette always ignored that voice in her head when it told her such things.

* * *

It hadn't been an easy feat for Natalya to find a time to meet up with the girls on the newly-formed dodgeball team. This was mostly because on the weekdays everyone's timetable seemed to conflict, meaning that finding time to see them to hand over their attire was tough. She had been grateful to discover a twenty-minute gap - cutting into everyone's lunch - to be able to squeeze the task in. So, in roughly ten or fifteen minutes, she would be staring at the faces that would make up her society.

Although the blonde was proud of herself for organising this time to meet up, she was much prouder of what was draped over her arm right now while she walked over to the meeting place. She had a dozen or so of the outfits they were to wear for their training sessions and actual games. A sneak peak at the attire had left her feeling pleased. It was a black and pink design, emblasoned with flaming hearts on the front of the shirts and down the side of the shorts; she absolutely loved the way they looked.

"You look happy." The voice surprised her, but it was easily recognisable, so it didn't take a lot for Natalya to quickly get used to the presence of Maria by her side.

"I am! I've got the team uniforms."

"Oh, cool. Can I see? If I'm going to be on the team..." This comment made Natalya stop in her tracks, just as the redhead had suspected it would. She had kept quite schtum on her decision of whether or not to be a part of this whole thing until now. "Looks like I made up my mind huh?"

The girl was shaking her head, as if in disbelief. "I would so hug you right now if I wasn't carrying so much in my arms."

"That's probably a good thing. When you're excited your hugs are lethal - I'm not really in the mood to get my ribs crushed."

"Well hey, I had your size made in case you were going to join. Let's find a place to sit and I can pick it out for you. I know you have an eye for fashion so I really want to hear your opinion on it."

"I would love to but I've got to get to class now. Maybe if you drop it off later I can take a look?" Maria suggested. Smiling, she remarked, "I'm really excited to be officially part of the team, Nat. I have a feeling it's going to be a great experience. See you around."

"Yeah, me too. Bye."

A sanguine feeling was instilled into the student as she was left alone to continue on her journey. It was lovely to feel this enthusiastic about a project, she realised, and when it was something she was so passionate about... well, didn't that make the outlet so much better? Natalya was still smiling when she rocked up outside of _Morning Glory, _the on-campus coffee shop. She picked a table hidden in the shade and waited for everyone else to arrive, all the while thinking about how proud of this she was.

One by one they turned up. Maryse first—surprising to her, because she had assumed the French-Canadian girl would act too cool and collected and turn up late—and then Sasha, Paige, Tamina and Beth. Now they were just waiting on Alicia Fox to show up. While they did, amicable conversation was had. Natalya was pleased that the girls' seemed to be able to get along.

"Is that your phone?" Sasha pointed to the table, where indeed her phone was vibrating hard against the solid surface, almost falling off the edge with the effort.

The blonde seized the item and looked at the number. She didn't recognise it. "Hello?"

_"Is this Natalya Neidhart?"_

"It is. Can I ask who's calling?"

_"This is the committee that approved your dodgeball society. Now, we just have a few concerns that have cropped up... minor details we'd like to discuss..."_

Typically an intense discussion ensued, in which Natalya excused herself from the table and headed over to a secluded spot to have a little privacy. This sudden issue they had wasn't one she could quite believe, and she said as much by commenting, "What do you mean there's a scheduling problem? I made sure that the sports hall gym was free in the two-hour period on Friday! It was approved!"

A snooty-sounding man on the other end of the line then proceeded to tell her that the soccer team's practise time had recently been moved... to the same time as her dodgeball practise with the girls'. As soon as word about the Draculton Eagles' boys reached her ears, Natalya rolled her eyes skywards. Why was this team so troublesome?

"Well, what am I supposed to do? Huh? By right, it's _mine. _I know the Eagles are very much appreciated around here but—"

Instantly, she was cut off. This man was starting to sound more and more annoying by the second. _"You'll have to discuss the matter with the team's coaches. I'm sure yourself, Coach Michaels and Coach Hunter can come to a satisfying conclusion."_

Her 'satisfying conclusion' would be to find this man talking down to her now and punch him in the face... and then maybe barge into the boys' locker room and demand that they stop trying to be the school's heroes. She hadn't had a problem with the Draculton Eagles before... in fact, she thought it was nice for the students to have some school spirit and be passionate about something... but how much attention did they really need? The team was already popular and hers was just starting out; whose was it really that needed all the practise they could get?

Natalya sighed, glancing over to her team. She could see that Alicia had arrived now and they were all assessing their attires, holding them up against their bodies as if trying to envision themselves in it. "Yes okay, I'll talk to them. Thank you for letting me know..." The blonde trailed off as she realised the head of the committee had already hung up on her. "Asshole," she muttered, doing the same.

"Is everything okay?" Paige asked when she returned to their spot, looking somewhat suspicious of her new captain.

"Oh yeah, everything is fine. Just a little hiccup." She hesitated to explain. "Seems like we've been booked on Friday evenings at the same time as the soccer team. Nothing I can't clear up."

"I wouldn't mind sharing that space with those guys." Maryse raised an eyebrow, smirking, and Alicia soon followed suit.

Natalya wasn't so keen on having such boy-crazy girls on her team but she if she was to expect that with anyone, it would be these two. Her thoughts turned to the boys also; how would two teams be able to avoid each other? More specifically, how would _she _be able to deal with Wade Barrett? There was no way she would be able to concentrate if she was boiling with frustration just knowing they were in the same sports hall. It would not make for a good training session with the girls'.

This she explained to Layla, Kaitlyn and Maria when she met up with them later on in the evening. The fact that her meeting with the team had gone well wasn't even discussed; Natalya was still far too bothered about the whole ordeal. "I mean, it's just ridiculous. Now I have to go and talk to these two coaches whose primary concern is probably their team. What if they laugh at my dodgeball society? I'm not stupid, I know some people doubt our credibility."

"Okay, calm down, I'm sure this can be easily resolved. Right?" Layla nodded enthusiastically at the other girls, who understood her intentions and imitated the gesture. "You're just stressed right now. Calm down, Nattie."

"This gear is amazing by the way." Kaitlyn held her outfit up and looked at it admiringly. "Bad-ass."

"Don't mess with us, it says." Maria laughed.

"Or we'll mess you up." Mockingly, Layla joined Maria and Kaitlyn's sides and all three did the Charlie's Angels pose, with the blonde in the middle. "See? Don't we look bad-ass?"

Natalya couldn't help but laugh. If there was one thing her friends could do, it was bring a smile to her face. Cheering up, she rolled her eyes in submission. "You have a point. I'm just stressing out about nothing. This can definitely be resolved. I'll go and see the coach first thing tomorrow."

"Better yet, do it after our weekend trip to the beach. Our first training session's not until next Friday anyway and you'll be so much more relaxed to go and speak to these coaches."

"I'll come as back up." Kaitlyn offered.

"Okay, you're right. I'll do that. Thanks, Kait."

"No problem. So, are we going to watch a movie or not?"

Maria collected her purse and smiled. "Let's go. It's been so long since I've been into the town that I'm actually excited just to get off-campus. Anyone know what's on at the complex?"

The girls' all delved into mini-arguments then to profess their love for different films that were presently out. As they made their way out to Kaitlyn's car, she and Maria taking the lead, Natalya slung an arm around Layla, happy to have her friends as a distraction to her problems.


	9. Beach Day: Part One

**As Luck Would Have** **It**  
_- Beach Day: Part One -_

* * *

Four girls stepped out of the car to admire the view of the beach before them. It was a clear, sunny Saturday—perfect for their plans to relax today. They were all thinking about different things; Layla about finally getting a break from work, Natalya about the best spot to sunbathe in, Kaitlyn about seeing her old friends, and Maria about whether today would bring her any sort of peace from her troubles.

One thing was agreed on by all: this was a promising day.

"Anyone want to give me a hand carrying all this stuff?" Kaitlyn broke the serene moment, gesturing towards the open back door seat where many items were strewn all over the car.

"I'll help," said Layla, "but I'm not carrying that sandcastle bucket. It was digging into my leg the entire journey over."

"It's clearly out to get you." Maria grinned.

Natalya raised an eyebrow at Kaitlyn. "Why did you bring it anyway?"

"You're never too old to build sandcastles, Nat. Never."

"I'll keep that in mind." The blonde had to laugh. "Anyway, enough standing here - let's get down there and set up."

The four ladies worked together to do just this and discovered, by the time they reached the spot they wanted, several Draculton students were already there. It wasn't a shock to anyone: the Eagles always celebrated a team win by coming down here to relax and have some fun, then wrapping it up with a huge bonfire in the evening. The story on campus was that these Saturdays in-particular were always a great time to be had.

Speaking of the Eagles, the guys could be spotted at various parts of the beach now. The girls' didn't purposely ignore them, but didn't pay much attention to them either as they set up towels, the CD player and everything else. Maria twisted her lips in slight annoyance as she looked down at the CD player; she supposed there wasn't much need for it when the boys were already blasting out music from their party bus.

Even if the music was proving to be louder than necessary, it didn't distract the soccer team from noticing the new arrivals. "Look who it is..." Kofi nudged John on the shoulder, knowing that the guy was into one of the four there, even if he had never openly admitted it.

Cena's eyes clapped onto Layla instantly. It was as if the other girls weren't even there - just her and the pretty smile she was currently directing at Maria. "I didn't know she was going to be here."

"Were you expecting her to tell you? Ha," teased Kofi, hitting him again, and John rolled his eyes at the attempt at wit his friend thought he possessed.

"Well this is going to be interesting." Wade commented when he saw the four. Kaitlyn and Natalya were fairly recognisable, although his focus wavered onto the latter of the two for a little longer than he intended. "Boys, any of you want to help me get the alcohol?"

"I'll do it." Dolph Ziggler volunteered his services. Nikki Bella did not look pleased to see him leave her side but he ignored her, not particularly bothered if she cared or not. Did they have to be with each other 24/7? What happened to their booty call routine? He much preferred that arrangement to this girlfriend-boyfriend thing they had going on.

The Miz pulled up into the parking space next to the bus just as the two reached for the first crate of alcohol. He wasn't the kind to ride with the others; he enjoyed having the top down of his own car instead with his favourite music blasting out. Pushing his sunglasses onto his spiky head of hair, he offered his help, carrying a light crate down to the spot the team had set up in.

Unfortunately for Eve Torres, who had arrived earlier with Maryse to catch some rays, she managed to catch his eye as she turned onto her stomach. She was thankful for the ear buds firmly plugged in that alerted everyone that she was not in the mood to chat. Losing herself to dance tracks, the brunette relaxed head down onto her towel and focused on reaching a sanguine mood.

Stopping beside John, The Miz shook his head as he finally took his eyes off of her and put them on his teammate. "I think—"

Cena didn't let him finish that sentence, instead doing it for him. "You're in love with her again. Could you be any more predictable?"

"Hey, we're here to celebrate a well-deserved win against our bastard rivals. Let's not focus on girls'... at least not yet." Wade rallied around the guys that made up the Draculton Eagles. After popping open his first beer, he raised it in the air and shared his smirk with everyone. "To the Eagles!"

The cheer of brotherly solidarity that followed alerted Maria, Layla, Kaitlyn and Natalya of their presence again.

"This should be a fun day." Natalya said dryly as her gaze landed on Wade. He looked particularly smug with himself.

"It will be." Maria promised as she landed backside first onto her towel and retrieved a book from her tote bag. "Let's not worry about them. This is _our _beach day to enjoy."

"I concur." Kaitlyn added, giving a mock salute. "We keep to our side, they keep to theirs... how much simpler could it be?"

* * *

A couple of hours later, when Kaitlyn heard a wolf whistle in the not so far distance, she made the decision to ignore it. There were plenty of students around and no doubt some dumb jock had seen a skinny girl in a bikini and felt like it was necessary to compliment her fine form in such a fashion. However, the second that wolf whistle was followed by a familiar holler of her name, she whipped her body around quickly with the knowledge that someone was trying to get _her _attention.

"It is you!" This was Derrick's greeting to her, walking over in the girls' general direction with the grin that she had gotten used to seeing from him by now. "I was debating whether it was you or Seth from behind. I figured I'd take my chances that it was you... and I was right!"

"Seth?" Layla questioned as she looked up from her magazine. "Who's that? Sounds like a man's name..."

"You'd be right. He's a guy we knew from our old high school. Oddly, he has the same two-toned hair as me—"

"But of course you rock it better, Kait!" AJ seemingly came out of nowhere—a habit of hers given her height—to attack her best friend with a bone-crushing hug. Kaitlyn spun her around, laughing, while the petite girl added, "I've missed you!"

"I've always said these two are the greatest love story the silver screen has never seen." Derrick smirked at Kaitlyn's friends. "I'm Derrick by the way. This is AJ... and here comes Justin, her boyfriend. But maybe you can't tell by the way Kait and AJ act around each other."

"He's right, I do feel redundant sometimes." Justin Gabriel - the boyfriend - commented, but had a grin on his face as AJ returned to his side. He slung an arm around her shoulders comfortably. "Thanks for inviting us to hang with you today."

"It was Layla's idea." Maria pointed out with a friendly smile.

"Yeah. We're happy to finally meet you." Natalya added.

Having an older set of people in her life meet a newer set was an odd feeling. Would her friends from home get on with her university friends, and vice versa? This experience was a nerve-wracking one, Kaitlyn realised, as she set about with introductions. Everyone exchanged polite smiles while the three new arrivals settled themselves down on their beach spot.

Never one to shy away from conversation, AJ proved it by commenting, "So I take it you guys know about Kait's secret admirer?" with a sly smile.

"Yep. We also know how frustrated she is because she doesn't know who the admirer is." Layla couldn't help but laugh.

"Aww Kait," teased Derrick, ruffling her hair from where he sat beside her.

She squirmed out of his childish gesture. Crossing her legs, she looked at everyone before shrugging her shoulders. "I just don't see the point of it, you know? Just tell me you like me and get it out of the way! Does this person really think he's being a man by hiding behind a piece of paper?"

"Isn't it fun for you though?" Layla's magazine was long forgotten about now. "It would be nice to know that a guy was into you surely."

"You _do _know that." Maria gave her a knowing look and then pointed over to the soccer team. "John's asked me about you before and there's no way it was in a platonic way."

"That stupid soccer team." Kaitlyn frowned. "See that one, AJ? That's Dolph - the one I was telling you about. He's the one who gave me the note in the first place and said it was from someone on his team. How the hell am I supposed to know who it is?"

"He looks like a douche." Derrick felt the comment was necessary. "... But then again so does everyone. Maybe you should examine who the least douchiest people are and pick from that selection."

"That's a very, very small selection." Natalya said.

"Agreed."

"Enjoy it while it lasts." AJ suggested, leaning into her boyfriend's frame and resting on his chest. "Maybe whoever it is will surprise you and turn out to be a nice guy after all."

"Yeah, maybe..."

Derrick smirked at his friend. "Which means that you won't enjoy it and you don't think whoever it turns out to be is a nice guy."

"No, I don't. Urgh!" Kaitlyn complained suddenly and leaned back on her towel. "Can we just talk about something else or listen to music or something? I'm sick and tired of this topic already."

So they did, but not before her friends had made a few more digs at her expense. After that conversation seemed to flow smoothly as the minutes ticked by and Kaitlyn was pleased to see that everyone seemed to be getting along on first impressions. It was a beautiful day, moods all around were great, and this was a great Saturday to spend away from campus.

* * *

The earlier rule of not getting in the team's way and vice-versa was bound to be broken at some point. That point occurred as the sun was starting to set, the beautiful day drawing to a close, signalling that a chill was about to drift in any time soon. While several students retrieved their previously discarded clothes to cover up with, the Eagles started setting up for the bonfire for everyone to enjoy before they headed back to campus.

It was Kofi Kingston was jogged up to them to ask a friendly question. "Bonfire starts in five minutes. Are you guys interested in joining us?"

By now, Kaitlyn's friends had left and Maria had taken a local bus back to campus too, so the decision whether or not to join them only had to be made between three people. Even so, Natalya was hesitant, resulting in Kaitlyn reading her mind and commenting, "You don't have to talk to Wade. We'll keep you far away from him."

"Well I'm up for it." Layla commented, looking past Kofi to where the rest of the team were. Just as she spotted John, he turned to glance in their direction and she looked away, blushing.

"I bet you are." Kaitlyn teased. At Kofi's look of confusion, she laughed. "Give us five minutes to pack everything away and we'll be right over."

"Alright. See you in a few."

The trio gathered their belongings together and carried them back to the car, storing them safely away in the trunk. Then they headed back towards the beach and to the (by now) growing bonfire.

"This should be fun." Natalya said under her breath, although she sounded like she was bracing herself for something terrible to happen.

"We get some warmth from the fire, free marshmallows—" Having just been given one, Kaitlyn held hers up almost proudly. "And it'll be a good way to end an awesome day."

But the night wasn't over, and despite her speech, all three thought there could be just a few more surprises before the night came to a close.


	10. Beach Day: Part Two

**As Luck Would Have It  
**_- Beach Day: Part Two -_

* * *

The evening had finally set in. There were dark skies overhead and a smattering of stars shone here and there. Some eyes were focused on them almost hypnotically, while others were on their peers as they paid attention to conversations around them instead.

Case in point: John Cena, as he hovered near to Layla and the bonfire. "I didn't know you were going to be here tonight. Did you come out to support the Eagles?"

The British student was the designated driver for tonight's trip back to campus, so she didn't have the luxury of being able to hide behind a bottle of beer while she spoke, unlike the guy standing opposite her who took a gulp of his frothy beverage to make things seem less awkward. Here they were talking to each other like they'd had several conversations before when - in fact - they had made eye contact once or twice, and spoken only once in the laundry room.

Sans a bottle, she dug her hands into her pockets instead, coiling into herself. "I didn't actually, no. The girls' thought it would be a good idea to spend Saturday away from work and... everything... so yeah. If it makes you feel any better, I did know you were going to be here."

The team's star nodded. "It's a tradition of ours every time we win a game. Can I get you a beer or something?"

"Oh, no thank you. I'm driving tonight." As if to prove it, she reached for the keys to Kaitlyn's car and took them out of his pocket to jingle around. "I don't know how long Kaitlyn and Natalya want to stay for anyway."

Her eyes had drifted over to find them. John, noticing this, knew he had to get her attention back. "So a British accent huh? Are you a long way from home?"

She felt awkward around him and knew he did too, to a certain extent at least. There was something else butting into what would otherwise be a normal conversation between two people: an underlying sexual tension. Layla wasn't stupid. She knew when a guy was attracted to her and vice-versa... however, it did weigh on her mind now that this was a lot of pressure to have for their first proper conversation, and maybe tonight wasn't a good night to have it.

_And I'm also not going to date anybody this year. _She hastened to remind herself.

With John looking at her expectantly for an answer, she gave an apologetic smile, before responding, "I'm really sorry but I think I have to take off now. It's getting late and I promised my mum that I would call her tonight before I went to sleep, so..." This was a cleverly fabricated lie of course, but he didn't need to know that. He was barely able to get another word out before she took off in Kaitlyn's direction.

Meanwhile, Kaitlyn was having some trouble herself. The blonde regaled her concerns out loud to Layla as soon as her friend joined her side. "No-one here is paying me any attention. I don't understand... if you're a secret admirer, surely you have to show some signs that you're into me."

"Or maybe he's trying to stay secret so he doesn't give the game away."

"That's pathetic."

"I agree, that is pathetic." A familiar voice chimed into the discussion. Both ladies turned to find Dolph Ziggler approaching them. He was without Nikki Bella for once it seemed. "He should just be a man and tell you."

Kaitlyn shot him an impressive glare. "Tell me the truth. Is it you? Because I really am finding it hard to believe that any of these guys like me... and actually, why the hell would this 'secret admirer' ask _you_ to deliver it? We're not friends and I've never really spoken to you before, so why would he think to make you the messenger?"

"Calm down, Detective Kaitlyn." He grinned - the smug type of grin that began to irritate her quickly. "I can assure you it's not me. You would know if it was me on account of one thing: when I want something, I go and get it. I don't hide behind a stupid bit of paper. No... this guy is shy. You wouldn't know it by looking at him but he definitely lacks courage when it comes to women."

"So just tell me who it is! You obviously know."

"But babe, where's the fun in that? It's so much more amusing to watch you try and work it out..."

Kaitlyn thought she might have hit him then—it would have been a while coming—but luckily for Dolph, Natalya walked up to them with the request that they go home. Layla was happy to do this, realising that John kept glancing her way and making her feel unintentionally guilty about her lie, but the other girl wanted to know why.

"Wade."

"I should have known. What did he say?" Kaitlyn asked, side-eyeing Dolph as he chose to leave the conversation and return to his team-mates.

"Well technically... he just said hello..." When Natalya received the bemused looks she thought she would, she made sure to defend herself quickly. "You should have heard the _way _he said it though. He wants to get under my skin and it's working. Whatever. Can we just go?"

"Yeah, I'm sick of looking at a bunch of guys and not being able to tell which one likes me anyway. Lay, are you still okay to drive?"

"Sure."

So all three left for the car, but each with the feeling that their bonfire moments with the Eagles were not yet concluded.

Layla thought of her awkward conversation with John on the way home, somewhat regretting leaving so soon when in all actuality she _had _wanted to speak to him. Kaitlyn still wondered about the elusive guy, while Natalya's thoughts, frustratingly enough, turned to Wade and how she would probably see him while going to talk to Coach Michaels and Hunter about her dodgeball team being bumped for the soccer team on a Friday evening.

_These boys are trouble_, she thought, very much with the confidence of knowing that the other two in the car would agree with her.

* * *

A little cathartic release had been good for Maria to have, and in part she was thankful towards her mother for suggesting she have some fun today, but the chance to quietly slip away back to university had been too tempting to refuse. As she stepped back onto campus, she thought about the events of the day: tanning, a little swim, music to sing along to and fantastic company.

These select few hours had provided with her with a new insight: that she _could _have a slice of serenity every so often despite her problems. The student stored this knowledge away with a small smile.

Now back in her comfort zone, she planned to make a quick stop at her dorm's drop-in hall (a place for residents of the building to chill out, to make hot drinks in the mini-kitchen, or to study). There were books she had clumsily left in there yesterday that she needed to collect. After that, she would head back to her room for a chance at some shut-eye for the evening.

While she walked swiftly in that direction, Maria thought about how lucky she was to have friends in Natalya and Kaitlyn, and in Layla in-particular. These three had been her rock lately even if they didn't know it and sometimes had the ability to keep thoughts of her sister at bay. Anyone who could do that was worth having around in her eyes.

The hall was empty save for one person. He had his back turned to her as he rested on the couch, headphones in and head down. Even so, Maria had a distinct feeling she knew who it was; that slicked back hair and familiar hoodie gave the game away.

To collect her books from the table she would have to walk into his line of sight. She did this with the grace of someone who was just casually walking by, although her eyes betrayed her, settling too long on his face to prove she did know he was there after all. Phil Brooks caught her looking before she could do anything about it.

Although the two had recently become Facebook friends, they were still strangers to one another in the real world. Maria offered a polite smile and greeting. "Hi," she said.

"Hey."

"I forgot my books so I came to get them." She pointed to them on the table as if she needed to prove her motive for coming here.

A flicker of amusement crossed his face. The expression that so easily curved his features told her he was accustomed to giving out the look. "Okay."

Perhaps she should have said something else—she felt she ought to have—but instead she gave another polite smile and stepped forwards to collect her belongings. With them safely tucked under her arm she turned back to Phil, about to give a small wave goodbye, only to realise he was already back to his notepad of scribbles.

It wasn't until she was almost at the door that he spoke again. "This is stupid."

Three words. Three words spoken boldly... and a statement that had her turning back round to face him. He was looking properly at her now, pen and paper forgotten about. She advanced towards him, almost cautiously. "And by that you mean?"

Phil gave a crooked smile then and shifted in his seat to face her better. "We're 'friends' now yet we're ignoring each other. I understand it - I added you out of the blue and we've only talked once, and even then not for long, but I just thought..."

"What?" The redhead prompted, intrigued.

Although hesitant to continue, he did so anyway. "When we were talking at the union you mentioned that it wasn't that hard to find a friend around here but then you took a long time to accept my request and—"

Maria pieced the rest of his sentence together fairly quickly after that. "And you thought I was ignoring you?" She still posed it as a question, but after a confirming nod knew her instincts had been right. "My laptop was busted at the time and was away getting fixed when you sent the request. Unfortunately, I don't have a fancy phone like everyone else that has the internet."

"Me either." He revealed a worn cell phone from his pocket, its red paint chipping away in various places. "So okay."

"Okay..." After trailing off, her standard polite smile gave way to one of warmth. "But if we're going to be friends there's one thing you should know about me: I wouldn't just outright reject somebody. I'm willing to give people a chance until they prove me wrong." He chuckled, prompting her to ask, "What?"

"I don't think this is going to work. I never give people a chance - if I do, it only makes me realise what a stupid idea it was in the first place to let them into my life when all they were going to do is screw it up." He shrugged. "We're opposites."

"I'm sure we have something in common." Suddenly, Maria was feeling alert and no longer in need of sleep after her day at the beach. It was without hesitating that she took the place next to Phil on the sofa and settled herself in. "Favourite music? Favourite book? Shows? Movies? Colour? We will definitely have something to talk about."

For a moment, he simply stared at her. This was a girl like no others on campus. He knew of those who catwalked around the place like they owned it—Eve Torres came to mind here—and those whose only interest was boys or shopping. They all seemed to blend into one generic, characterless brand. But Maria... she had something in her eyes, a sparkle that, to him, it seemed like only he could see right there and then.

"What the hell?" Phil smirked, putting away his stuff and focusing on her. "I like a challenge."

* * *

The pool house near to the beach was a sight to behold. Much like its owner, the decor exuded grunge, and bits and bobs around the place only accentuated the owner's personal taste. Eve had only just finished eyeing up the indie CD collection strewn over a messy, unmade double bed when the guy himself made his presence known. Shoulder-length brown hair hidden partially by a black beanie, brown eyes that pierced through hers and a smirk that showed utter confidence: Adrian Moore was certainly a visual image that demanded to be seen.

Surrounded by others around their age - all chatting animatedly over the loud thud of music from the speakers - she found it hard to hear him introduce himself. Noticing this, Adrian leaned in to give his name, his lips ever so gently brushing against her ear with the effort.

Maryse smirked at her friend when they exchanged glances. The blonde was excellent at matchmaking—at least she thought so—and knew that sparks would fly between Eve and Adrian. The brunette herself couldn't deny she was attracted to him either. Her friend had told her a few facts about him on the car ride over: he had graduated from university three years ago, worked somewhere up in management at the local music store in town and was doing pretty well for himself. These little snippets of information had impressed her.

"So what's the big deal about meeting him?" She asked Maryse once he had disappeared to get them both a drink. "Yeah he's hot... but I'm not really looking to get into a relationship right now."

"No-one said anything about a relationship!" The French-Canadian student looked horrified. Seconds later, her face relaxed, that smirk on show again. "But he'd be good for a hook up or two right? We're used to having guys wrapped around our fingers at clubs but that's just a bit of fun. We never go home with them. But Adrian? He's got a good vibe."

"So why haven't you hooked up with him?"

"Not my type. Anyway, you'd look hot with him. Just date him for a month or whatever and see what you get out of it." Spotting Adrian working his way back towards them, she put on a smile but whispered to her friend, "Plus there's a reason I wanted you to meet him."

Eve didn't have a chance to ask her what she meant by that. Adrian returned and handed them their drinks, which both accepted with a grin while the music pumped loudly in the background. He immediately took an interest in Eve again, asking her questions about herself, until Maryse gave him a look—one that Eve noticed and was suspicious about.

"Are you sure we can trust her?" He asked the blonde.

"Excuse me? What does that mean?"

"Come on, let's go somewhere quieter." Maryse took Eve's hand and they walked out of the pool house, trailed by Adrian. It wasn't until they had stopped up against a wall in the shadows that she spoke again. "I wanted the two of you to meet because I think you'd be interested in what he has to offer."

By now, she was very confused. "What the hell are you talking about?" The drink in her hand forgotten about, she stared back at the two.

Adrian sighed. It was now or never. "Look, Eve, Maryse has been raving about you and I trust her judgement about people." They exchanged a quick smile before his attention was back onto the brunette. He pushed his hand into his pocket, seemingly searching for something. "She thinks you'd be up for something different... a little fun when you're not studying or in class. Something to relax you... and you seem nice and trustworthy enough."

Eve was searching his face for something to give away what he was talking about now that he was done speaking. When it proved to be a fruitless task, her eyes finally trailed down to his hand where he had pulled something out... a thickly-rolled joint which, if lit, would stink of marijuana.

"So, what do you think? Are you up for it?"


	11. Conflict of Interest

**As Luck Would Have It  
**_- Conflict of Interest -_

* * *

Tawdry Monday morning arrived again with a vengeance. Beach trips and relaxing weekend activities were forgotten about, as students returned to their normal class schedules, travelling through the cold starts like walking zombies with giant-sized coffees from _Morning Joy_ cupped in their hands for warmth.

Kaitlyn was lucky enough this morning not to be among those who reluctantly trundled across campus. A quick glance at her university email account whilst getting ready earlier had given her some good news: the professor for her first lecture was sick and wouldn't be making it in today. This meant that two whole hours were now hers to do whatever she wanted with them, and while most students would choose to collapse back into bed for comfort, a decision had already been made for how she was going to spend it.

It was time to look for a part-time job.

The blonde settled herself into the driver's seat of her car and checked her reflection in the mirror. She looked good - perfectly presentable - and felt like she was ready to hand in her resume to various places over town. After locking a collection of them away in the glove compartment, Kaitlyn set off for the short drive over to the shopping centre parking lot.

She would have loved to have been able to say that she was looking for a job purely for the money but, deeper down, she knew that wasn't entirely true. Money would help, yes, but her main purpose for this challenge was so that she could be closer to home. By working at a place in town, Kaitlyn could see her friends whenever she wanted to—this would certainly ease her mind of its troubles about drifting away from AJ and Derrick—and it would be easier to come home to see her family more.

Just as she was about to leave campus, she glanced to her left and saw her friend jogging around the grounds.

Natalya had her game-face on as she kept a steady pace, headphones in and world locked out. It was just as well: she had an important meeting coming up later that day with the coaches of the soccer team about Friday's double-booking. Hopefully, if things turned out okay, the issue would be sorted out quickly. After sending out a silent good luck message, she left the grounds behind her.

Luck seemed to be on Kaitlyn's side this morning. The first store she entered hadn't even been on her list of places to check out, but a huge **HELP WANTED** sign in the bottom corner of the window enticed her into it anyway. AJ would kill her if she knew that she was going to apply for a job in _Starbucks_. This establishment was rival to the quaint coffee shop AJ worked in, as far as her best friend was concerned.

"Hey, I saw outside that you were hiring. Can I hand in my resume?"

The man she addressed the question to turned at the sound of her voice and she saw that he was not a man at all - at least not by her standards - but a boy from her school. Staring right back at her was Cody Rhodes, Draculton soccer team member. The way he was looking at her... it was almost as if he recognised her too. Maybe he did from the bonfire over the weekend, she assumed.

"Uh yeah, sure." He replied, sounding a little unsteady in his tone for some reason. "We usually look at applications online."

"Well I didn't know you were hiring. I just happened to be passing..." Kaitlyn realised that this conversation wasn't going as smoothly as she had planned. She produced her resume with a small flourish. "Here you go."

"Great, I'll hand it into the boss. If you could just fill in this application?"

"Of course."

The blonde was thankful for the music that played overhead as she found a pen to fill in her details. There was something off about the way they were interacting. Sensing his eyes on her, she looked up to find her instincts to be right, although Cody soon turned away to serve a new customer. She shot a confused look at the counter before returning to her task. Was there something on her face? But wait, she had checked her reflection in the mirror just half an hour ago. This had to be something else._  
_

"All done. Here you go."

"Thanks."

"So... see you around."

"I guess."

With the atmosphere more awkward than she would like to admit, Kaitlyn left the popular coffee shop and made her way back onto the main street. _Weird,_ she thought. It wasn't until after she was done making her rounds and sitting back behind the driver's seat of her car that the jigsaw puzzle pieces clicked into place.

Maybe it was him. Maybe Cody Rhodes was the secret admirer.

* * *

Natalya approached the boys' locker room as if she were walking towards a crime scene. Although the doors were partially closed, the familiar mix of smells such as sweat, cologne and musk hit her nostrils hard, making the task of actually heading inside even more of a difficult prospect. Was this really the only time she could get an appointment with the coaches?

After a moment of hesitation, she braced herself and shoved the doors open; if she was going to make an entrance it might as well be a confident one. Their attention was quickly caught as Natalya strode in, head held high and eyes away from anything that could potentially scar her for life. It was Coach Michaels who stuck his head around the door of the office - conveniently located at the back of the narrow locker room - to see what the commotion was about. The wolf-whistles and jeers died down at his appearance, leaving Natalya to make the rest of her journey over to him peacefully.

"Let me guess. Natalya?"

"That's me." She returned his polite smile and was ushered into the office. "Thanks for seeing me," she added once the door was closed.

"I thought there were supposed to be two of you." A new and not particularly friendly voice entered the conversation.

Coach Hunter was by far the more serious of the two. Natalya had heard around campus that it was because he had a 'spirited' wife and three small demanding children to take care of back home. If it was true, she could see how the lines of wear marking areas of his face were a result of this. Either that or he didn't age gracefully, but she was willing to bet on the former option.

"Kaitlyn couldn't make it - it's just me."

Coach Michaels gave another of his warm smiles. "Okay, take a seat. What can we do for you today?"

"This is about my dodgeball society. I've been able to put together a team on short notice and I _thought_ that the training time was sorted out too, but there's been a conflict in schedule apparently. Your new session timetable—"

"Interferes with yours. Yes, we're aware." Hunter was straight to the point.

"Okay. Well since you already have the sports hall for Tuesdays, is it really necessary to have it on Fridays too? I secured that spot knowing that it's the only time all of my team are free..." Helplessly, she shrugged her shoulders. "Isn't there an arrangement we can come to?"

Coach Hunter sighed. It was a sigh that Natalya recognised - one that told her she wouldn't be getting her way this time round. He told her as such when he went into a premeditated speech about the Draculton Eagles and how they were climbing up the ranks quickly compared to other university teams around the country and how they needed the practise time to not only maintain this, but become better than ever too.

_Of course the Eagles need their precious time. _The blonde thought, dejectedly. _God forbid if anyone else wants to make a statement at this school. _Out loud she said, "Thank you for your time," very politely, before collecting her things together, putting on a brave face and walking out of the locker room.

"Never thought I'd see you here."

It just wasn't her day. Raising her view from the ground, her eyes met with Wade Barrett's. "I wouldn't have been here if I didn't need to be. Turns out my team's practise time clashes with your practise time. But congratulations! Now the Eagles have an even better chance of showing off and garnering more adoration."

Feeling upset, Natalya walked off before he could even reply, disappearing and allowing the door to slam behind her. She wasn't aware that Wade had been staring at her the entire time, completely unused to being faced with a low-spirited Natalya and without a clue of what to do about it.

* * *

"Dude, you crashed and burned. Hard."

John lifted himself up from the bench press machine and shot a look at Kofi, who was staring back at him with a grin he could barely conceal. If he didn't know any better, he would have thought that his friend was talking about their gym session today, which would have made no sense because his routine had been executed perfectly - as it always was. But he _did _know better. Kofi's comment referred to his conversation - or lack thereof - with Layla over the weekend.

"And this is something you have to tell me with a stupid smile on your face?"

"It's better coming from me than Miz, isn't it?"

He considered this; imagined the smirk on Mike's face as he mocked his fellow teammate about his inability to even talk to the girl he liked. "Yeah, you're right." A small grimace worked its way onto his features. "Doesn't mean I appreciate it whoever it's coming from though."

"Ah come on, it's not that bad. I mean, did I act like an awesome wingman and purposely ask the girls' over so you could get closer to Layla? Sure I did. Did that effort go to waste? Well—"

A clean towel was thrown in Kofi's direction. This was a sure sign for the black man to shut the hell up. "Let's get out of here. You done?"

Kofi nodded that he was and they made their way out of the gym and back onto campus. "I've gotta ask a serious question though. Do you think you'll give it another shot with her?"

"I hardly had one in the first place." Cena complained while they walked back to their dorms. "Her friends were set on leaving and it wasn't like I could offer her a drink either - she was the designated driver. It was just a case of bad timing. But am I giving up? No, 'course not. I've barely even started."

"Atta boy." His friend smirked.

"Let's not forget about your crush though. Seen much of Alicia Fox around recently?"

"I don't have a 'crush' on her. Are we back in high school? Nah, she's a cool girl... I like hanging out with her. Doesn't mean I'm going to ask her out or anything. We're just friends."

Now it was John's turn to smirk. "Sure..."

Both agreed to drop the topic of girls and crushes and parted ways at the doors. Cena made the rest of the way to his room in silence, thinking about the work he had to do by the end of the week. His gaze was on the floor as he walked which meant that he didn't see the posters stuck to every room door, or on his own before he stepped inside.

One glance at Phil reading a book on his bed with his headphones in and blaring loud music had him rolling his eyes. "Is this all you do all day, Punk?"

"No. Sometimes I like to wait for my asshole of a roommate to come back so I can do this." With a big grin, he turned his music up to block him out.

John gritted his teeth as he set his bag down and walked over to his desk. They were about as opposite as two people could get. Rock music versus rap music; loner versus the popular guy; introvert versus extrovert. He had a feeling they would never see eye-to-eye.

Phil eventually turned down his music. He held out a poster to Cena as he passed by and remarked, "You seen this? It's all over the dorms."

His eyes met with the words _mandatory meeting_ and suddenly a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach arrived. He went on to read the rest of the note and get a general idea of what this meeting would be about. It turned out that every student would be gathered in the main sports hall tonight to discuss the recent problem of the fire alarm pranks each week. There would be a price to pay for whoever it was that had been setting them off and that person _would _be found and reprimanded.

"Looks like your luck is out, Cena."

Although concerned for himself, outwardly he kept up the appearance of cool and collected. "I thought you didn't believe in luck." He remembered the comment coming from Punk's mouth a while ago now. He'd said something about luck being for losers...

"Oh I don't believe in luck, but I know you do." Phil gave one last remark before retreating back to his world of music and books, and he gave it with an almighty grin. "Sucks to be you right now, huh?"


	12. Honest Intentions?

**As Luck Would Have It  
**_- Honest Intentions? -_

* * *

It was five to eight in the evening, and the sports hall was filling up from left to right with students for tonight's mandatory meeting. Those who were already there were spaced out across the bleachers either chatting to friends, indulged in their phone screens, or both.

Natalya and Kaitlyn arrived together, saw Layla sitting on her own towards the back and joined her. When asked about Maria's whereabouts, the British girl pointed ahead, explaining after seeing the looks on their faces that she was just as confused as they were.

Meanwhile, Maria was oblivious to the attention as she sat with Phil, the pair in spirited conversation about their shared hometown of Chicago. It turned out that his idea to add her as a friend had been a wise one; they hadn't stopped talking since the other night at the drop-in hall.

Phil's roommate - and cause of the fire alarms being pulled so frequently - shuffled in with his hands dug deep into his hoodie pockets. Outwardly, he was as calm as ever, accepting compliments from strangers about his performance so far on the beloved university sports team good-naturedly. Inwardly, however? He was sure his heart was about to burst out of his chest.

John took a seat next to Kofi and Miz, the latter of whom had strategically placed himself behind Eve. His eyes often strayed from the guys and onto the back of her head, prompting him to wonder just what it was she was thinking about as she tapped away on her phone.

_What the hell did I get myself into? _Eve looked disgruntled as she faked a cheery text to Adrian to tell him that she and Maryse would meet him in a little while. The blonde was not here but in the shower, and they would leave campus after this meeting to go to his house. It didn't take a genius to figure out what they were going there to do.

Down two rows and slightly to her left, Wade sat with Drew and Sheamus, smirking at the dirty joke one of them had just told. He looked around and caught a glimpse of Natalya by chance; she was wrapped up in conversation with her friends but laughing, which must have meant that she wasn't feeling too badly after her meeting with the coaches earlier today.

Coach Michaels and Coach Hunter appeared through the doors suddenly along with a couple of grouchy firemen, dressed in their full garb, and a few higher-ups from the university. The arrival of the coaches caused an uproar of cheers and wolf-whistles. While Coach Michaels tried to hide his smirk, Coach Hunter blew hard on his whistle to quieten down the rowdy lot. It was true that the Eagles were beloved, and that meant that the two people who made the team unbeatable were bound to be held in high regard, but it was to be made clear that now was not the time to show off that school spirit.

"You have all been gathered here under very serious circumstances." Vickie Guerrero was considered the head of the university board and was often heard but not seen. This was unfortunate for many of her colleagues and the students; her screechy, almost unbearable voice was known to drive people crazy. "You all know what this is about - the fire alarm pranks."

Beside her, one of the firemen shuffled in place noticeably, wanting to convey his irritation with it all.

"Both of these men are here to talk to you today about why what is going on is wrong. _Excuse me—_" Vickie's eyes narrowed considerably at Phil and Maria, who up until that point had been whispering to each other. Both exchanged quick smiles before returning their full attention back to the front. "Gentleman, they're all yours."

The firemen bore strict expressions as they stood with legs widely apart and hands on their hips. If they wanted to give off the impression that they meant serious business, they had succeeded, but in also striking that pose they ensured that the students would laugh about it later in the privacy of their rooms. One of them stepped forwards and began to talk about what it was they did and how important their line of work was. The other man took over then, stressing that it cost them serious dollars every time they were called out to a job, and therefore when they were on the receiving end of a prank it was not appreciated.

All the while they were talking, John grew more anxious. He hadn't been aware just how time-consuming it was for them to respond to his pranks. He felt bad too; all he had wanted to do was get the attention of a girl he thought he had no shot with. Maybe it was time he stopped.

The meeting was soon over. There was no references to finding out who the culprit was - just an assertive warning that, should it happen again, there would be serious repercussions. Students were free to leave and they did so quickly. Maria bid a goodnight to Phil, joining her friends again before disappearing with them, while the Eagles all seemed to leave as a group, and Kofi and John set off together. John and Phil caught each other's gaze for a moment but the former looked away quickly. This was a secret that both were going to keep to themselves.

The only people who didn't seem in a keen mood to leave were Mike and Eve. The brunette sat debating whether to stand or not, not particularly enamoured by the idea of leaving campus to meet up with Adrian, while Mike simply wanted to spy on her. He was just wondering whether there was a point to doing so when a text buzzed through on her phone and he was able to read it over her shoulder.

_There's a joint here with your name on it. See you soon babe xx_

The Miz could tell that Eve was unsettled after reading that text just by the look of her; whoever was on the other end of the conversation wasn't someone she was comfortable around. He shot a blank look at her as he reluctantly got up to leave but his mind was racing with what seemed like a thousand thoughts a minute. Who was this guy? Was he bad news? Why was she doing drugs? Was she into that sort of thing? Why did she look so uncomfortable about it?

Mike knew one thing for sure: he was going to find out one way or another.

* * *

There was something peaceful about walking alone across campus at night. Natalya had a soft smile on her face as she treaded across the grass back to her dorm hall. Despite not having the best day of her life today, she could at least take comfort in the ability to step back from the stress and have a quiet moment alone.

"Natalya Neidhart, that is you."

Or not.

There was no reason to turn as she knew who it was, but the blonde did so anyway, coming face to face with Wade Barrett. He was alone. She hadn't known what to expect; an unintentional glance over to where he sat in the sports hall revealed he was with his other British friends. Wade still had the same self-assured, smug grin on his face now than he had then. It was off-putting.

"Can't a girl get some peace and quiet for a change? Or are you here to rub it in my face about earlier?"

Natalya remembered their encounter this afternoon well. It seemed to be branded in her mind, embarrassingly enough. Why hadn't she been able to keep her cool in front of him? Why did she have to storm off like a small child having a tantrum? Now he had seen her at her worst and would more than likely hold it over her for a long time to come.

"What must you think of me?"

"Don't think I can't hear the mocking in your tone. Come on, out with it."

"Contrary to popular belief, I'm not here to laugh at you or make a joke at your expense, or whatever it is you think I'm doing."

"So why _are_ you here?"

Wade thought about her question for a moment. The silence that followed was almost too awkward for her to endure, so she used the time to study his facial expression. His smile had slipped and with it so had his laughter lines. His eyes had less of a crude look to them... if Natalya didn't know any better, she thought they might have even become kinder as they stared into hers.

"Listen out for a call in the next few days about your practise time."

"You mean the time your team stole from me?"

He chuckled at this, nonplussed by her hostile reaction. "Just do it, will you? You might not be at a loss after all. Night, Nattie."

Wade shot her a look she couldn't quite decipher and began to walk away in the opposite direction. She stared after him, confused and half-tempted to shout after him that playing the mysterious cliffhanger guy didn't suit him well at all. Instead she kept schtum and stood alone in the dark for half a minute in an attempt to understand what he was talking about. Finally, giving up, she resumed her walk back to her dorm.

Natalya thought once more of Wade when she was back in her room and tucked into bed. _What kind of game is he playing? _She wondered, unknowingly making him the last person taking up the space in her thoughts before she drifted off completely.

* * *

Turning up without Maryse to Adrian's pool house was Eve's first indicator that this evening would not go as expected. Her best friend's text might have read that she had a sudden migraine coming on, but she was more than suspicious of the blonde's actions, and knew that the apprehensive feeling in her stomach as she walked up to the door was something to pay close attention to.

Adrian already had a joint to his lips as he let her in but he took it away to press a lingering kiss on her cheek. It was a smell and taste that would take some getting used to.

"I take it Maryse already told you about her migraine."

"Just me and you then." He grinned. His hair was once again covered by a beanie, while his clothing had only changed a little bit since she last saw him; he was wearing a different shirt this time round.

"I suppose so." She shrugged half-heartedly, and he passed the half-smoked joint to her. She took a small puff. "So what do you want to do?" The question was asked in an effort to disguise the look of distaste to briefly cross her face.

He sat down on the edge of his messy bed and smiled up at her. "I'm sure we'll think of something." The music that played softly in the background seemed to have a recurring quality: the ability to set an intimate scene whether it was wanted or not. "You're a pretty cool girl, you know that?"

"I am, huh?" She muttered, and took another nonchalant puff.

Eve was smart and knew of his intentions. Her second indicator that something was amiss this evening was how easily dismissive Adrian was of Maryse's absence. He had shown an interest in her since their first encounter; only a fool could be oblivious to the looks he sent in her direction.

But did she want him to be interested in her?

"Of course you are. Come here." He smirked. Reluctantly, she did so, although she stopped a small distance in front of him. "God, you're gorgeous... but I'm sure you hear that a lot."

She had. Coincidentally, these words were always spoken by the sleaziest of the lot. "All the time actually." Eve played up to her character. There was no point of modesty in this sort of situation. "Here." She passed him the joint.

He took a long drag, his eyes locked onto hers the whole time. Adrian stubbed out what was left of it and for a short moment all they did was stare at each other. Then he reached out to rest a hand on her waist. She flinched at his touch - something he noticed quickly. "What's the matter? Are you too much of a good girl?"

_Good girl: _just the words she didn't want to hear. Abruptly, thoughts of her cousin came to mind, but they disappeared just as quickly as they arrived. She put both of her hands onto his shoulders before she knew what she was doing, and lowered herself slowly onto his lap.

"Trust me when I say that I am _not _a good girl."

"Prove it." He whispered.

Eve kissed him before he could kiss her. By now she was certain that this wasn't what she wanted, yet she kept on at it. He tasted bitter and she suspected that she did too, but it was a minor issue that was soon pushed aside. She had a reputation to keep up, and whether she believed her actions to be wrong or right, they were the rules she was going to stick to.


	13. A Friendship In Jeopardy?

**As Luck Would Have It**  
_- A Friendship In Jeopardy? -_

* * *

There was an easily recognisable feeling running through Eve as she sat up in bed the following morning, still half-asleep but awake enough to realise just what she had put herself through last night. She grimaced at the wall ahead of her.

That feeling was regret - perhaps with a little disgust mixed in as well.

Adrian was walking around while he dressed for the day. He smiled at her. "Morning, babe."

He stopped buttoning up his shirt for a moment to give her a quick kiss. Then he was pacing around again with his ears focused on the radio and his eyes fixed on the mirror to check out his appearance. Eve watched him for a moment and that feeling of regret grew stronger.

Then she glanced at the clock.

Eyes widening, she almost tripped out of bed in her effort to get up and get ready. Her first lecture had started ten minutes ago and she needed to get the hell out of there.

He looked amused as he watched her rush around. "I take it you're late?" He asked, pointlessly. "Relax. I'll give you a ride back to campus - it's on my way to work anyway."

Despite what she personally thought about him—which was to say, not very much at all—a ride from Adrian would still be useful considering the predicament she was stuck in now. "Okay... thanks."

Returning to campus was a comfort in itself. After a kiss goodbye and a promise 'to do this again', Eve hopped out of the vehicle, waiting until it was completely out of view before dropping her fake smile.

Immediately, she took out her phone to check her messages. There was only one and it was from Maryse asking her how her night had gone. The wink emoticon at the end of the question was so typically the blonde's style, prompting her to give a simple reply in return that she knew would satisfy her friend: _Your plan worked. _She hadn't wanted the plan to work, but that was something she wouldn't reveal too soon.

_Ooh la la. Can't wait to hear all about it! x_

But Eve could wait to tell an excited Maryse the story, so the brunette shook her head and powered on, in the direction of her dorm room. She needed a shower and to brush her teeth pronto. The sooner she could feel less dirty about what had transpired, the better she would feel.

Mike exited the gym just seconds after Eve had walked past it. The temptation to follow her and probe into her life was fairly high, but he knew girls like Eve Torres were bound to be guarded. This much he understood from her snippy attitude and the dangerous glares she always offered to him. So he headed in the opposite direction towards the library, figuring he could waste time before his lecture by hanging out in the library.

Disconnecting himself from her didn't mean he was past noticing a subtle hint; she was still in last night's clothes, implying that she had only just returned from a night out wherever. Had she been with that guy?

Eve was a mystery, he felt, and one he was intrigued to work out.

* * *

_"Kaitlyn, my love, you know I adore you. On any other occasion I would be thrilled for you getting a job offer... but Starbucks? Really?"_

Kaitlyn laughed at this, in too good of a mood not to. Just ten minutes ago it had been a normal weekday morning; now there was a piece of good news to share via phone call, and AJ Lee was just the person to hear it.

_"So we're practically rivals now, huh? I hope you know that home-made coffee and cake can't be beaten. Starbucks may have a hot new blonde taking orders but the café has a perky - and equally hot - brunette that she has to compete with."_

"That's one way to describe yourself." Kaitlyn teased, prompting AJ to feign a gasp of horror. "Yeah, I said it... and I also sold out. But hey, working in town means I can be closer to you guys."

_"We do miss your face around here."_

"I mean, I know Derrick is busy hooking up with that chick and Johnny is nowhere to be seen but I'm sure we can make time for—"

_"Justin, you're going to drop it!"_

If it hadn't been AJ's sudden yell into her ear that made the blonde jump, it was going to be the loud crash that followed her warning. It was amusing for her to hear the awkward apology and weary sigh that followed afterwards.

"Uh, everything okay there? Has Justin just cost you the job you were bragging about seconds ago?"

_"No, it's fine, I've got the day off today." _There was a short pause, then a hesitant breath. _"Actually I've been meaning to tell you something."_

The blonde could sense that something was off. That give-away sign was a classic and one that AJ had used a few times before. She'd used it after breaking Kaitlyn's favourite cereal bowl with a clumsy arm swipe; when she made the tiniest scratch on Kaitlyn's car just one month after purchase; even when she'd had to hide a surprise birthday party away from her best friend. AJ Lee made _that _sound when she was keeping something from her.

_"Okay, I'm just going to say it... Justin and I are moving in together."_

"Oh my God - that's amazing! I'm so happy for you guys. But wait, why would you be afraid to tell me that?"

_"Well, it's just that we made the decision to move in together a few weeks ago. We found a cheap apartment a week after that and now we're packing up to move there today."_

It suddenly sunk in for her. "And you didn't tell me until now..."

_"I wanted to... but I knew you were so busy with exams and everything, and then I was going to tell you at the beach but I didn't think it was appropriate in front of your other friends. Please don't be mad at me."_

"I'm not."

But of course she was. Kaitlyn couldn't help it, and she was aware her friend knew exactly the way she was feeling too.

These were two people who told each other everything—often within or after the exact minute it occurred in—but here was a noticeable gap between the event actually happening and Kaitlyn being told about it. Even if she had her hands full with work, even if it didn't seem 'appropriate', she still would have liked to have known as soon as possible. They could have celebrated together at the time.

Realising that she'd left the atmosphere between them a little too silent now, she remarked, "I've actually got to go - I'm meeting up with Natalya." This was true, although she and the Canadian wouldn't be seeing each other for at least an hour. "I'll talk to you later, okay?"

_"Kait, I really did want to tell you. Please don't be mad. Promise me you're not."_

"I promise. Bye."

It was with a heavy heart that she hung up the phone and slipped it back into her pocket. This was _it, _she was certain. This was the very first sign of a friendship in jeopardy.

* * *

_"One day that boy is going to ask you out and then you'll have to make a serious decision about him. There's only so many encounters you can share before the inevitable happens."_

This sentiment had been shared by Kaitlyn on the drive home from the girls' beach trip, and while at the time it had seemed like a debatable thing to say, Layla now wondered if her friend's words had any truth to them. She particularly wondered about it now, as John had chanced upon her in the library and they were now stood opposite each other, having given their greetings but not really having much to speak about now.

While she pondered the nature of their relationship, John had his own set of thoughts to pay attention to.

The meeting about the fire alarm pranks—_his_ pranks—proved to be a wake-up call as far as he was concerned. He was potentially getting himself into trouble with the university and costing the department a lot of money - and why? Because he couldn't work up the nerve to ask a girl out. Of course Layla El was special to him, but there was an attraction there between them, he could feel it, and that should have been enough for him to go on.

It was now or never.

Cena braced himself but stopped short at taking a deep breath in front of her, figuring he needed to look as confident as possible going into this. "Look Layla, I'm just going to come right out and say it. We didn't get a chance to speak much at the bonfire, otherwise I would have said it there."

She shifted slightly in place. Kaitlyn's words rang in her ears once again.

"The truth is this. I like you."

The three words that suddenly seemed too simple _not_ to speak brought a smile to his lips, and she knew there was one threatening to show on hers.

"I've liked you for a while - ever since I helped you out with a bag. You said thank you and smiled, and that was it for me." He shrugged in a casual fashion, as though the confession wasn't such a big deal after all. "I've wanted to ask you out for a long time now. So here I am finally doing it. I think there's something here - crazy as it sounds - and I want to see what that something is."

Layla suddenly realised that this was the end of his declaration and knew she had to say something in return. The smile that was close to appearing on her lips disappeared completely. What had she said at the beginning of the year? She wasn't going to date guys... even if they were cute and the star of the university's soccer team.

She felt out the situation slowly. "Okay. I'm going to tell you something now and I want you to really listen to what I'm about to say."

He took the smallest step forward, that smile of his growing a little wider. "Sure."

"I like you too. At least I think I could if we dated. But - and as much as it pains me to say this - I can't go out with you. I made a promise to myself that I wasn't going to date anyone; my studies are too important to me and allowing myself to get distracted could hurt me. I worked really hard to get here and I don't want to throw that away."

"Layla—"

"I'm sorry, I just can't."

He looked down at his feet for a moment, unsure how else to react. Maria had once mentioned that Layla was entirely focused on her studies, but that hadn't deterred him at the time... and actually, he was slowly starting to realise, it wouldn't now either. He lifted his head to find her gaze again. She seemed concerned for him - exactly what he didn't want.

Cena's smile returned as he said, "I understand, trust me, I do. But that doesn't mean I'm going to stop trying. I think you can balance dating and studying, but you just don't know it yet. I know we'd work out."

"You're a bit too confident about this, you know that?" There was a smile on her face that reflected his as she said it.

"Just wait and see. I'll prove you wrong."

He made his exit then, his shoulder lightly brushing hers as he coolly walked past her. The subtle gesture had Layla turning in her spot and watching him with an intrigued expression as he left the library.

So, Kaitlyn had been right after all, but one question remained.

Where did they go from here?

* * *

Natalya and Kaitlyn were sitting outside of _Morning Joy_ with their coffees, savouring the sunshine above, when someone's phone rang to disrupt their peaceful time. It was soon identified as Natalya's, and Kaitlyn, looking disappointed, realised that her moment with AJ earlier wasn't over just yet. That was a phone call for another day.

"Hello?"

Kaitlyn was thinking about AJ's news for a good minute or so before she was distracted by the blonde sitting next to her.

Natalya had slapped a hand down on the table and was now grinning excitedly at her from across the table. Whoever was on the other end of the line had evidently just made her day. The call lasted for another moment and then the phone was dropped and she was on her feet doing an odd little dance.

Kaitlyn was tempted to shield her face away from people looking their way. "This is embarrassing."

"Sorry, sorry!" The blonde rushed to apologise, although she sounded anything but that. "The dodgeball practise time is back on! Friday nights are ours... well, technically we'll have to share with the guys but that's fine. They can have their side and we'll stick to ours too. I have to call the girls' and tell them. Aaah, it's all going ahead again - this is so exciting!"

Her enthusiasm for the good news was infectious and all troubles were forgotten as they shared a celebratory hug. Kaitlyn was truly happy for her friend; in a strange way, she was even excited for herself as a part of the team, to know that their hard work was now cemented and would go ahead. Her feelings of unease about AJ were put aside as she allowed a smile to grace her features.

_Bring on the pressure_, she thought.

Natalya thought the same thing as she called the first team member to tell them the good news. Life was looking up for her and the dodgeball society.

* * *

**A/N: **Just wanted to say thank you to the people who are keeping up/reviewing this one :)


	14. No Damsel In Distress

**As Luck Would Have It  
**_- No Damsel in Distress -_

* * *

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, students were busy making their plans to either head home for the break, or to stick around on campus throughout the holiday period. The general consensus between Draculton attendees was that the long weekend was needed to get away from classes - not to spend more time with their families, but rather to have an excuse to party more and not feel guilty about it because of the early starts the next day.

One person excited to head home was Maria.

Unlike others, she _was_ eager to see her family - Lizzie in-particular. The issue with her younger sister may have settled down according to her mom but that didn't mean her concerns were any less. Being back at home would allow them to be close again and that was something in itself to look forward to. Not to exclude her Dad, but the Kanellis girls' held a special bond indeed.

When her last class of the day let out, she left the lecture hall with a smile. She looked like a girl who had a happy secret to keep all to herself as she hugged her books close to her chest.

"You look way too happy to be leaving the hall. History lectures can't be that bad surely?"

Her smile grew that little bit wider as she turned to face Phil, who proceeded to hold out a hand to take her books. She knew who it was addressing her even before seeing his familiar face. Meeting her after class so they could hang out for a while was starting to become a habit, and one she didn't entirely dislike.

"No, it was actually interesting. Thanks," she added when the books were exchanged.

"So what's making you so happy then?"

"I was just thinking about Thanksgiving. It'll be nice to go home even if it's only for a short while. How about you? Are you excited?"

He thought about this for a moment. "I guess. I mean, it'll be good to see my sister and my mother. I miss a few of my friends too."

"Ah, but which one do you miss the most? Corey? Colt? Amy?"

Glancing at her, he realised that he must have already told her quite a lot about his home life, and it was a comfort to after finding out they were both from the Chicago area. Phil was amazed that he'd given so much away in such a short amount of time of knowing her. _There must be something about her_, he decided. _Something that makes me want to tell her everything._

He couldn't deny that Maria's red hair and bubbly smile was somewhat of a prominent thing in his mind when he was alone.

Phil was just thinking about how to answer when John Cena and Mike Mizanin emerged into his eye-sight. It was unsurprising given that he knew the pair and Maria were on the same course, but it was also frustrating. Coming to meet Maria sometimes meant that seeing Cena was unavoidable and he'd already had enough of the guy as it was.

Maria saw who he was looking at and rolled her eyes. "I still don't understand why you guys can't just get along but if it bothers you that much then let's just go. I want to drop these books off to my room and then we can go and get something to eat."

"Sounds like a plan."

Small talk was made on the short journey over - mostly about their Thanksgiving plans. The room was empty when they arrived. Sans Layla, she was free to invite him in and he perched on the edge of her bed looking around while she swanned around making sure she'd dropped off and picked up the appropriate stuff.

When he suggested meeting up during the break, Maria replied that it would be awesome to see him, also realising in the meantime that she truly meant it. Phil Brooks had somehow infiltrated his way into her life and it was like they had known each other for years instead of weeks.

The redhead stopped suddenly and looked over at him. "It's weird, isn't it? How we're so comfortable with each other?"

"Weird in a good way or a bad way?"

She gestured for him to follow her out of the room while she contemplated the answer. After locking up, she faced him again and this time a grin graced her delicate features. "Definitely in a good way."

* * *

Kaitlyn made a beeline for Dolph the instant she saw him. She didn't care that he was mid-conversation with a couple of friends. When he caught a glimpse of her heading his way, he didn't seem to mind the upcoming encounter either, and an easy smirk met a vague frown as they wound up standing opposite one another.

"Can I talk to you for a minute? In private?"

The guys he stood with made knowing wolf-whistles and Dolph did little to stop them; however, he nudged them away at her insistent gaze, leaving them alone and him to fold his arms in anticipation of whatever she was about to say.

"Is it Cody Rhodes?"

"Is _what _Cody Rhodes?"

His smirk eased up by only a margin, but she noticed, so knew he was aware of what she was talking about. Perhaps she would have humoured him otherwise but today she was not in the mood. Her little non-fight with AJ still hadn't been resolved, making it hard for her to concentrate on little else, and not having much patience when she was finally able to.

"You know what I mean. Is he my secret admirer?"

He stared at her for a short moment in an effort not to give anything much away. Then he finally shrugged. "Well done, Detective Kaitlyn, you've solved the case. How did you find out?"

"I applied for a job where he works and noticed he was acting all weird around me. I had a hunch... and clearly I was right."

"So what are you going to do? Think you'll give Loverboy a chance?"

She gave him a look - one that said he was behaving like a moron. "Not that it's any of your business but I haven't really thought about it. My main concern was finding out who actually wrote the note."

"I don't know, you and Cody? You could be the best power couple on campus since—"

"You and Nikki?" Kaitlyn teased, cracking a smirk to match his.

"Uh huh - something like that."

There was something off about that comment. Curiosity took over and she stared at him then - only to remind herself seconds later that this was Dolph Ziggler she was talking to and whatever he did or didn't do in his love life was none of her concern. The look on his face spoke of pure arrogance and the blonde was going to believe that that was all there was to see in his expression.

"Well... thanks for confirming it. I guess."

As she was about to walk off, he remarked, "You're starting the job tomorrow right?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"I just want to be prepared for when he comes into the locker room and starts talking about you."

"Ziggler..."

"I mean, Kaitlyn, I don't know if you're aware of it but you're something special around here... you make him smile."

He'd recited Cody's handwritten words with just a hint of mockery, subtle enough to be passed off as gentle teasing. "C'mon, it's a little funny right?" Dolph jested.

Despite herself, Kaitlyn couldn't help but smile, although she tried to hide it by glancing down at the ground. It _was_ weird to hear it out loud. Looking back up at him, she prepared herself to tell him to stop being cruel - that it was actually kind of cute of Cody - and would have said so... if she hadn't spotted Nikki Bella stomping their way, twin sister in tow, and not looking at all happy.

"And that's my cue to leave."

"What cue?"

But soon Nikki caught up to her boyfriend and he understood why she had walked off. Still, Dolph watched her for a second longer, allowing the briefest of smiles to cross his lips before he turned back to console his girlfriend - and her sister - about his innocent conversation with 'homewrecker' Kaitlyn.

Meanwhile Kaitlyn, unaware of Dolph coming to her defence against his girlfriend, headed to the library in the hope of nabbing a spare computer so she could type up the rest of an essay she had due in soon. However, her mind was on AJ and Cody, and neither situation was easy to cope with.

* * *

Mike hadn't been planning to run into Eve so soon after seeing her the other day. Alas, when he cruised onto campus fresh from a trip into town, he caught sight of her anyway. It was impossible to miss her. She was exiting a car that blocked his way - the same one he had seen her in before. The sight of her leaning into the convertible to kiss the mystery man on the cheek, only for him to turn it into a full-on kiss, couldn't have been more displeasing to see.

He honked the horn twice - loud and clear. It brought him a lot of satisfaction to see them jump away from each other and the douche behind the driver's seat to shoot him an irritated look in his mirror. She stepped away, the car drove off, and Mike was free to drive on in his.

Instead he chose to pull up beside her.

"So that's your kind of man huh?"

Eve stopped walking to look at the guy who was addressing her now. The Miz - of course. She had just spent another night with Adrian at his place, so she was in a less than stellar mood to deal with someone who shouldn't even be on her radar.

Even so, she responded, "So what? Are you hurt because it's not you?"

And with a smirk, he remarked, "It's cute that you think I'm jealous. But just so you know? Acting like something you're not for someone like that isn't worth it."

She looked at him for a long moment. He could wear that confident expression all he liked but Eve was a perceptive woman. It was clear to see that he was invested in her personal business for whatever reason and she felt like he had no excuse to be. They were not friends—not even acquaintances—so why the hell was she wasting time speaking to him?

"Don't presume to think that you know me. Men think they can act like they care and save the damsel in distress, but guess what? I'm _not _a damsel in distress. I know what I'm doing and I can take care of myself."

Although sat in a comfortable position, Mike felt anything but. He had wanted to come up with a plan regarding Eve Torres in his own time, but now his stupid loud mouth had already spoken up about the guy. He had a feeling he wouldn't stop there.

"Is that what you say to yourself when you're snorting a line or smoking a joint with that asshole?"

He was right.

Eve was shocked and knew she couldn't help the gasp that spilled from her lips or the surprised look on her face. As quickly as she could, the brunette hardened her expression, just as Mike softened his to one of concern, knowing that he'd gotten through to her even if she didn't want him to.

She straightened her shoulders out to imitate a position of authority. Taking a step closer to his car, she lowered her tone to say, "I don't know where you got that information from but you should learn to stay out of other people's business. Even if it was true, I don't need you telling me what's right and wrong. Like I said: I know what I'm doing. I don't need saving."

"For now, maybe. What about when—"

"I'm done talking to you."

This was evidenced in the way she folded her arms across her chest protectively and turned on her heel to leave. She was a little bit down the path when the sound of a car engine caught up to her again.

"Okay, so you don't need saving. I get that. I also understand that you're a person who likes to keep herself to herself."

Realising he would continue to trail alongside her until she stopped, Eve did them both a favour and ceased walking. However, she continued looking ahead, refusing to meet his gaze.

Carefully, he explained, "I don't know you, you're right about that. Maybe you don't do drugs after all. But I've seen you with that guy before; you didn't look happy then and you don't look happy now."

"That's because I have some jerk talking my ear off about something he knows little about."

"No, it isn't."

They both knew he was right.

"All I'm saying is this. If push comes to shove, if somehow you can't manage even though you're not... _a damsel in distress__... _I can handle that. I'm not saying this because I want to get into your bed and it's not some kind of bet either. I just know when someone is heading for trouble. Keep that in mind, Eve Torres."

The brunette finally turned to face him, only to find him revving up and ready to go. She opened her mouth but he sped off before she could say anything, leaving her to watch silently until he was out of sight.

His words repeated themselves in her head on the walk back to her dorm. She'd hardly spoken to Mike and yet here he was basically saying he was there for her if she needed a shoulder to lean or cry on. Why did he even care?

_Trust no-one. _A voice told her in the back of her mind. _Not Mike, not Adrian, not Maryse. Only yourself._

Eve held this message close to her heart. It was hard to trust anyone in this world - and with her new-found bitchy reputation? Well, she could only project a _me, myself and I _attitude. It might isolate her, but if it kept her safe and sound then so be it. Besides, Mike was wrong. Maybe she was 'heading for trouble' - as he so eloquently put it - but he didn't know her like he thought he did.

She was strong enough to deal with anything that came her way. She just knew it.


	15. Plans Interrupted

**As Luck Would Have It  
**_- Plans Interrupted -_

* * *

At approximately 8:26am that early morning, Layla let out a loud squeal of delight, successfully managing to shock her roommate in the process. Maria could only watch in amusement as her friend spun out from her desk, lifted herself to her feet in their room and proceeded to perform the silliest happy dance known to man.

"Do I want to know what this is about?"

"Oh my pretty red-headed friend, yes you do. Remember that report I was worried about failing?" There was a moment of silence for suspense despite the result now being obvious to her. "Well, I aced it! Looks like I'll be going home next Thursday with some good news."

"Aw, I knew you would! You work so hard and a good grade is the very least you deserve."

"It's going to be a great Thanksgiving, I just know it. Anyway, we both work hard." Suddenly, Layla's grin became a little more animated and a little more devious. "Or you used to before you started hooking up with Punk."

Maria pushed herself up on her bed to rest against the headboard. "Excuse me but I'm not hooking up with him! We're just friends - I swear."

"Let's say I believe you on that." She was given a knowing look for that but it was easily ignored. "You have to admit it's weird for me. I only know this guy as John's roommate and then all of a sudden you're attached at the hip with him. You spend so much time together now and it just seems like you've always been friends when in reality you've known each other for weeks."

"It feels like it too." The redhead mused quietly, in such a way that Layla was certain that she hadn't meant to say it out loud.

"So, you and Punk are just friends. I can accept that. Just promise me one thing?"

"What's that?"

"That if you _do _start hooking up, I'll be the first to know."

"Layla!"

"What? It's a reasonable question!"

A pillow was thrown at her head as Maria decided that words would not justify the message she wanted to get across. Layla laughed and opened her mouth to tease her some more about Punk, only to get interrupted by an unexpected knock at the door. Both glanced at each other with a silent question: _Are you expecting someone? _Their synchronised shrugs suggested not.

"Come in!"

The face staring back at them when the door opened was a surprising one to see. "Hey Maria, is Layla here?"

The British girl appeared in his line of vision and gave a little wave. Kofi was a pleasant enough guy and she'd spoken to him for a little bit on the beach-bonfire evening before John interrupted but they weren't exactly friends, so what was he doing here now at this time of the morning? She supposed she was about to find out.

"Hey Kofi."

"Hey Layla. These are for you." He raised a bunch of brightly coloured post-it notes from his side. "Courtesy of the guy who asked me to deliver them personally. I just came back from a gym session with him. Want to take a guess as to who that is?"

A smile was already on her lips as she suggested, "John Cena?"

"You're as smart as he says you are."

"What are they?"

"That has to be worked out. All I know is he asked me to deliver them here and to give you this message: follow the instructions in order. It starts tomorrow. See you around."

Feeling as confused as Layla looked, Maria came to hover over her friend's shoulder to read the first note of five. It was yellow and had a bold **1** written in the top left corner. It read simply: _Saturday's a day for relaxing but I know you won't be. Since you'll be studying, why don't you refresh yourself with some coffee? Morning Joy - 11?__  
_

"There's a guy who's head over heels for you." Maria was collecting her things together, ready to head off for her first lecture of the day. "This is so cute of him."

She couldn't disagree with that comment.

Flattered, the British girl put the notes on her desk and stared down at them for a moment, lost in thought. An uneasy feeling was growing in her gut and she knew exactly why that was. Two internal sides of her were at war with each other as usual. There was one that was dedicated to her work and there was one that told her to just take a chance with a guy she knew she already liked.

Both sides had valid pros and cons.

Seeing the look on her face, Maria remarked, "Hey, don't beat yourself up too much about this. You need to go easier on yourself sometimes."

Considering who this was coming from—a person who was still wrapped up in her sister's situation—meant something significant to Layla. If Maria was able to sometimes let go, even if it was at the hands of a beach trip or spending time with Punk, then why couldn't she? Why couldn't she just let go and have fun?

"Maybe I will." She answered eventually. "Maybe I'll meet him tomorrow to see what he has to say for himself. One conversation at a coffee place won't have me falling for him, will it?"

Layla had a smile on her face as she left the room with her friend. She remembered John's words well - about her being able to juggle both work and a love life - and she realised that perhaps rejecting him outright might have been a bit too harsh. But she also remembered that working hard for what she got was all she'd ever known and her smile faltered a little at that. Her rule for not dating was a valid one.

This was all so confusing.

_Maybe it's just better to take the issue one step at a time. _She thought as she walked. _And see what happens._

* * *

Natalya had to admit that it felt odd to put on the black and pink dodgeball uniform and know that it was with the intention of actually training in it. It also felt liberating - finally things were on track for the team and she could turn her vision into a reality, not only for herself but for the others too. It all started now on this Friday evening in the sports hall.

"You look nervous."

Beside Kaitlyn, Natalya stirred as if being suddenly brought out of a daze. "Just preparing myself. It doesn't seem real."

"Well believe it." Maria appeared in front of her in the stylish uniform. "It would be weird if you were dreaming of this right now."

The blonde laughed and stood from the bench to assess the state of her team. Half of them were still changing - somewhat cautiously - in the small area of the locker room Coach Hunter had assigned them. While in less than ideal surroundings, she supposed she was just grateful that the guys were already out there and the girls' were allowed their privacy.

"Let's go, girls!"

Maryse was the last of the lot to finish changing and cited the delay as absolutely critical: didn't they know that styling her hair in the perfect natural-looking-but-not-actually-natural messy bun took a lot of hard work? Add that excuse to the French-Canadian having to text Eve every so often about 'important' things, and Layla was ready to charge at her. She just wanted a good training session with her friends - not a reminder of a bitchy ex-best friend who was hard to avoid.

The team finally made their appearance ten minutes later - mostly to cheers from the Draculton team. Coach Michaels soon made sure they were back to focusing on their targets with a harsh blow of his whistle. Even so, it didn't stop Cena from sneaking a glance at Layla, who gave a shy smile in return before letting her attention go back to Natalya, who was explaining rules and such.

As Kaitlyn had spent time with Natalya earlier to go through it all, she found her focus wavering over to the other side of the room, first to Dolph—the most serious she'd ever seen him in his workout zone—and then to Cody. He had been looking at her, this much she was aware of, but quickly he was back to listening to the advice Coach Hunter was giving him on his technique.

She sighed. How was she supposed to ascertain whether she could like him or not if he looked away every time they made eye contact? This had gone on at work too, making her uncomfortable. Maybe she would have to make the first move here.

"So," said Natalya, finishing up her speech, "I'll be over at the side to give you advice, help or support. Whatever you need. Let's start off with Alicia, Maria, Sasha and Beth on one team, and Layla, Paige, Maryse and Tamina on the other. Kaitlyn, you can keep me company over here for now. Can someone line up the balls please? Great, now take your positions for the rush..."

She felt at ease giving out all these instructions. Once the game was under way, she shouted out either encouragement or positive criticism to those who needed it. Chatting with Kaitlyn about who was standing out as the best player so far (Paige), they also noticed who was the most distracted (Maryse). Apparently her hair and the guys on the other side of the hall were more important than this game.

When Natalya noticed Wade about to walk out, she asked Kaitlyn to take the lead and followed him out into the corridor. "Hey Wade." She called out, feeling a little cautious in herself.

He looked a little surprised to see her. "Saw your team performing out there. Funny - you didn't strike me as the patient type. How much of that patience are you gonna need for that lot?" It didn't stop him from running his mouth, she noticed.

It would have been so easy to get sucked back into their little bickering game but she had something she wanted to say to him. To make it as painless as possible, she simply came right out with it. "Thank you for whatever you did to get me this spot alongside you guys."

Wade lifted his shoulders in a confused shrug. "Don't know what you mean."

"Come on Wade, yes you do." She smiled. "And I'm saying thank you."

"Can't say I do."

The smirk on his lips might have been tiny but it was definitely noticeable; he had to know that. Why was he acting this way? Their last conversation had told her that _he_ was doing something about her practise time, so why was he denying it now? Why couldn't he just act his age and admit that he'd done a nice thing for her?

"Wade—"

"See you around, towel girl."

She watched him go. _Towel girl. _He hadn't called her that in a while, yet here he was doing it now, distancing himself from her once again to let them know where they stood. Natalya shook her head at the empty space in front of her before deciding to go back inside and attend to her team.

Boys were a mystery. Wade Barrett, in particular, was one she was going to stay clear of from now on.

* * *

The five-day plan was created by John in the library. Hanging out with Kofi and Miz at their usual table, he had stressed that a plot was needed in order to win Layla over and sweep her off her feet. He'd gathered from their conversation beforehand that she _was_ willing to date him but the obstacle in her way (but certainly not in his) was her strong reluctance to stray from her studies. This meant that he had to convince her somehow that she could handle both.

But how?

When Miz suggested doing little gestures each day for her to show he cared, Cena had been surprised. It was a good idea and it had come from Mike Mizanin - a guy who had a habit of making his interest in the women he liked known. "Hey, I'm full of surprises," was his defiant response.

After devising what these 'little gestures' would be, they were written down on sticky post-it notes to be delivered by Kofi. The guy had been hesitant to carry out the job - he was hardly the romantic type and didn't really know how to be. This was proven when his crush Alicia waved at him in practise and he proceeded to ignore her, unsure what else to do. That had gained a laugh out of the others.

With the confirmation that Layla was in possession of the notes, he was now free to wait it out until today, Saturday, to start off the plan.

He would be at _Morning Joy _at 10:50am to allow the ten spare minutes to get them coffees - a caramel latte for her, as advised by Maria when he sought her out on Facebook to ask her favourite drink. They would talk for a little while and get to know each other and then he would leave her just as the conversation was getting good, hopefully intriguing her for what was in store elsewhere tomorrow.

At 10:45am, the jock had little else on his mind other than meeting up with her soon, so the sound of his ring tone going off was hard to hear at first. Eventually he grasped for it on his desk to see who was calling: _Home. _He sighed; if this was his mom asking for help around the house again, then she could ask one of his brothers instead, the lazy dicks.

"Mom, I hope this isn't important."

The next three words to come from her mouth would signal a fear in him that he hadn't known was accessible.

_"It's your father."_

As she carried on to tell him that he'd suffered a heart attack just minutes ago and was on en route to the hospital, John stayed deadly silent. He wasn't certain that he _could _speak. His dad was a strong, healthy man - always stuck to the right diet and exercised regularly. How could this be? It wasn't possible... surely...

His mind raced with a thousand thoughts a minute as he rushed to get the nearest bus to the hospital. He didn't trust himself to drive right now and it was better that he got there without having to worry about parking or any of those insignificant measures. The sooner he could find out what was going on and be with his family, the better.

At 11am, Layla appeared at _Morning Joy _anxious for what she supposed was a mini-date with John. That anxiety worsened when the minutes ticked by and there was still no sign of him. Finally, realising she'd been stood up for whatever reason, the disappointed student headed back to her room to fill Maria in on what had happened.

When Maria argued that Cena would have an explanation, she nodded, but deep down she had already reaffirmed that dating was not on the cards for her right now. John had blown his chance.


	16. Home Bound

**As Luck Would Have It  
**_- Home Bound -_

* * *

Leaving the Creek dorms behind her as she walked out of there had never felt so wonderful to Eve Torres. It was sometime just after seven in the morning and most students were still comfortably snoozing in their beds, which gave the impression that campus looked very much like a ghost town when nobody else was around. Even with that creepy factor added in, she was more than happy to make her descent through and off it towards her destination - the train station.

Knowing that she would soon be out of here and on a train back to her hometown was an exhilarating feeling. She didn't mind lugging a heavy suitcase behind her while she walked, especially considering she was doing it in an old pair of sneakers and not her usual high heels. In fact Eve looked barely recognisable in jeans, a plain grey tee, those shoes and with minimum fuss to her hair and make-up... and she loved the feeling.

The reason for the smile on her face was a simple one. When she was safely locked up in her house she could be herself again; that girl who wore simple clothes, made no special effort with her hair other than to tie it back into a ponytail and didn't have to put up a bitchy façade around others. She could let go, laugh freely with her family and feel truly at home.

For a weekend anyway.

The headphones plugged into her ears now played out lyrics full of love and loss sung by an almost hauntingly slow voice. The tracks were meaningful and beautiful and a far cry from the songs she was used to hearing in the clubs she went to with Maryse. That was another thing she could enjoy while at home: listening to music without it being doused with oh-so-inspired lyrics about sex/drugs/partying.

Eve was pleasantly surprised to find her train was early to the platform and waiting with doors open to allow passengers on. With ten minutes to go until its departure time, she took her time finding a place to store away her suitcase and to get settled into a seat. The beauty of booking her ticket for such an early train was that she knew there would be one available, as hardly anyone - especially students - would want to travel at this time.

Or maybe there was another student who'd be willing to do so.

The moment her eyes clapped onto Layla, Eve found her heartbeat quicken in pace. Her former best friend was sitting at the opposite end of the carriage alone and with a magazine in her hands to keep her occupied. The brunette was grateful to see she also had her headphones in. That meant Layla wasn't yet aware of her presence.

It was weird to observe the British girl in this light, undetected. Remembering when Layla first joined her high school and was pestered by the morons surrounding her to say all these things in her 'posh' accent was easy. Even easier to remember was deciding to save her. Eve had assigned herself to look after the new girl throughout the day, and when asked by Layla at lunch why she had chosen to do so, the reply was simple: it was nice to have a new sight in this boring place.

To this day, she knew why the effort with Layla was made: she had no other friends. Not true ones anyway, whom she trusted enough to spill all her secrets and concerns to. Layla proved to be a true friend and more... almost like a sister. They gossiped about boys, helped one another with their weaknesses (Biology for Layla, Maths with Eve), and solidified a bond that soon had them inseparable.

Until Eve decided it was time for a change in appearance and personality. It hadn't been easy to lose a friend like Layla El because of that. It still wasn't.

Layla looked up then and spotted her, forcing her to suddenly look away, startled. Eve could imagine her rolling her eyes at the sight of her ex-best friend, or worse, getting up to leave for another carriage. Thankfully no movement was made and both could be content to be in the same space together without focusing on the other.

Even so, Eve found it a difficult task. Feelings of guilt and shame attacked her—so much so that she closed her eyes to block out the sights around her. _I hate this._ She thought as the train doors finally shut and the conductor announced their impending departure. _I wish everything were different._

When Adrian texted her an hour into her journey making plans to meet up after the break, she hated the situation even more.

_What have I gotten myself into?_

* * *

She had only left campus a few minutes ago but already Maria was building up the excitement to arrive home and the journey ahead of her. Ahead of _them._

The redhead looked away from the window for a moment, still surprised to find Punk sitting in the passenger's seat in front of her. It was settled between them yesterday that she would get a free ride from him—well, his friend technically—to save her father the trouble of coming all the way to pick her up. If his friend was already coming and they were both going the same way, why not ride together, right?

She'd felt bad for being an add-on in the car for someone who didn't know her but Punk had argued strongly that Corey wouldn't mind having her there. With him confirming this over the phone, and her father saying it was perfectly okay for her to come home with someone else, so long as she made it home, Maria finally agreed to the little road trip.

"So Maria..." Corey piped up over the loud music that blasted from the speakers. _Transplants - _a band he and Punk both enjoyed. "What was your first impression of Punk?"

"Don't worry Maria," said Punk up-front, chuckling a little. "Corey likes to play question time with people he doesn't know sometimes. You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

"Okay but I don't mind answering. So, my first impression huh?" She thought back to their first meeting. "Well I'd just taken an exam so because of that and other things combined, I wasn't really in the best of moods when I met him. He talked to me first which I was quite surprised about—"

Unintentionally, Corey cut her off. "I'm surprised too. He's not usually the social type." Punk rolled his eyes at this, although it was true.

"I've noticed." She thought of his little rivalry with John Cena and smiled. "Anyway, he introduced himself as the guy who'd 'given up a long time ago' before introducing himself as Phil _and _Punk. It took a while for us after that to really connect again so I guess I didn't have much of an impression of him. Just that he could do with a friend."

"I thought the same about you weirdly enough - even though you did already have friends."

"Wait, so it took you a while to connect? What does that mean?"

"The short story? He added me on Facebook, I couldn't accept for a while on account of my stupid laptop not working and then we didn't talk in person until one night long afterwards. From then on we've spent a lot of time together though."

"Clearly otherwise I wouldn't be driving you to Chicago. Punk doesn't just make friends. He chooses them carefully and that's how you know you're special enough to make the cut." Corey smirked. "And taking a while to connect but being as close as you guys seem to be? Must mean something."

Both gave themselves time to think about those three words.

_Must mean something._

Phil identified with Corey. He _was _right. He didn't just allow people into his life so easily; they were usually assessed critically well before that. For Maria to be so involved in his life already could only mean one thing: he liked her. He liked her a lot. It was an odd thing to realise in the front seat of a beat-up car next to his good friend and sitting in front of her.

Maria's thoughts often strayed to her friendship with him anyway, but had done so even more after Layla's comment about them 'hooking up'. The redhead realised she'd felt like blushing when presented with the comment - and why? Because of course she felt something for him even if it out loud she was professing that they were just friends. The truth was they'd grown so close, so comfortable, that it was hard to tell if the lines blurred or not.

"Yeah, must mean something." She eventually echoed, so quietly that she thought they couldn't have heard her over the music.

But Punk had.

* * *

Kaitlyn was home by two that day, allowing her the chance to shove some clothes into the washer ("Sorry Mom! I promise I'll put yours back in afterwards!") and to grab a bite to eat before her afternoon shift started at three. It was good to be back at home for a little while, even if it was only half an hour's drive away, and even more so to be back in the comfort zone that was her bedroom.

Well maybe it wasn't so much of a comfort zone if something in it was suddenly making her feel uncomfortable.

Uncrossing her legs from their cosy position on her bed, the blonde stood to get a better look at the noticeboard pinned up above the computer desk. A bunch of photos were pinned up there for her to admire and contained the memories of silly moments captured between herself and her friends. Johnny Curtis appeared in a few, Derrick appeared in some, but AJ appeared in most.

This was a timeline of her most cherished moments from the past few years... and yet it all felt like so long ago.

"The one in the middle is my favourite. Derrick's stupid face, Johnny perving behind you, and me, adorable as usual..."

AJ's voice calling out into the silence was more of a relief than she realised, and turning to face her, the visual of her best friend was just the same. They stared at each other for a long moment as if deciding what they were going to say. AJ had technically made the first move, so Kaitlyn knew it was her turn, but was happy when the petite girl remarked, "You know, I really don't like keeping out of contact with you. I mean who else am I going to tell my new blonde jokes to?"

Instantly, she grinned. "Who am I going to push over just because I can?"

"It's not funny when you do that."

"It's hilarious."

With the ice broken, the best friends hugged it out before settling down on the bed. Apologies were made: Kaitlyn for ignoring AJ's calls, and AJ for not telling her the exciting news sooner. "I just knew that I wanted to tell you face-to-face," added AJ, stressing this fact, "but the beach wasn't the right time. It felt like a personal thing to reveal—I _am _quite nervous about moving in with him—and I knew that when I eventually told you, I'd want to discuss that with you."

"I understand that totally. I'm just sad that I couldn't be happier for you sooner."

"Well you can be now."

"So what's it like shacking up with Justin then? Do you feel all grown up?"

"Uh, not really. I nearly had a fit at him when he almost threw my comic books out by accident and I know he's trying hard not to be mad at me when I beat him at his favourite video games." AJ smirked at this, clearly pleased with herself. "So no, I don't feel grown up... but it feels _real_, you know? Like this is the man for me."

"You guys are perfect for each other."

"Derrick says he gives it six months before we get sick of each other but he's dating Olive Matherson, so what does he know? I threatened to not invite him to our housewarming party and he soon shut his mouth."

"Housewarming party?"

AJ quickly became animated. "Ooh yes, right, I didn't tell you! When your mom let me in I left an invitation downstairs for you on the dining table. I was only meant to be dropping it off but then she said you were here and... anyway, it's an informal thing. We're having it just before Christmas—note that it's in the winter break so you will _definitely _be able to come."

"Sounds good."

"And maybe you can bring someone with you? I don't know who, maybe..." The mischievous look to suddenly appear on her face alongside _that _smirk was too obvious to ignore. "A secret admirer? Maybe Cody?"

Prior to their falling out, Kaitlyn had told her about Cody Rhodes possibly being her secret admirer but hadn't been able to tell her about Dolph confirming it to her afterwards. She did this now by nodding her head subtly and AJ laughed giddily in response.

"I don't even know if I like him in that way. Every time he looks at me, I try to hold eye contact but he just looks away again. I'm not sure if I'll ever get a conversation out of him to be honest." She sighed. "You know my _Starbucks _job? I think I got it because he works there too." She added a few seconds later, "Speaking of that, I should probably leave for my shift."

"I'm still not happy that you're working _there_ but hey, I suppose two awesome kick-ass people such as ourselves were going to be rivals at something someday." AJ shrugged and got to her feet again. "Hey, promise me we'll talk more later? I know you're feeling insecure about being away from home and your friends. I can read you like a book."

_She really can. _The blonde thought fondly and nodded in response to her question.

Safely in her car and on her way into town, Kaitlyn realised she must have looked like a loon smiling to herself like this. But she couldn't help it. AJ Lee had a way of reassuring her of the positives in life, and that point of view had been sorely needed while away at Draculton. She made a quick promise to herself that from now on she would make much of an effort with AJ and with Derrick too - it was the least their friendship deserved.


End file.
